離開
進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 CECC details new booster shot rules
A woman walks toward a Pxmart supermarket in Taipei yesterday. The Central Epidemic Command Center said it is considering setting up COVID-19 vaccination sites at the chain’s supermarkets, which would also offer gifts to people who get vaccinated. Photo: CNA
CONVENIENT: Hospitals affiliated with the armed forces, the Ministry of Health and Welfare or the Veterans Affairs Council are administering COVID-19 vaccines at night
/ Staff writer, with CNA
Taiwan yesterday began its rollout of COVID-19 booster shots for certain categories of people who received their second vaccine dose at least five months ago.
Those eligible include medical workers, epidemic prevention workers in the central and local governments, people at higher risk of COVID-19 exposure and those who need to travel abroad for official reasons.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung （陳時中）, who heads the Central Epidemic Command Center （CECC）, added that central government officials would be excluded for now, unless they frequent hospitals or government quarantine centers.
As of yesterday, 48,000 people were eligible to receive a booster shot, Chen said, adding that only the Moderna vaccine would be offered at this stage of the rollout.
The Moderna booster dose would be half of that administered for a primary dose, in keeping with the company’s recommendations, he said.
Those eligible for a booster shot could make appointments directly with hospitals offering the vaccine, without going through the national online COVID-19 vaccination booking system, he added.
In July, Taiwan signed a contract with Moderna Inc for 35 million doses of its next-generation vaccine, 20 million of which are to be delivered next year.
Last month, Taiwan signed a contract with AstraZeneca PLC for 5 million doses of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine for the rollout of booster shots, Chen said yesterday.
The doses are to be delivered next year, and Taiwan would be able to choose between AstraZeneca’s first and second-generation vaccines, he said.
Taiwan is holding talks with BioNTech SE about purchasing the Pfizer-BioNTech second-generation vaccine, he added.
Studies have shown that people experience fewer side effects with the third dose than with the second, said Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang （莊人祥）, who is the CECC’s spokesman.
The most common side effects are fever, headache, and pain and redness at the injection site, he added.
Although recommending a six-month interval between second and third doses, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices granted that the gap could be shortened to five months if necessary, the center said.
The center shortened the interval to five months for the first stage of the booster rollout due to concerns over the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, which the WHO classified as a “variant of concern” on Friday last week.
Yesterday, hospitals affiliated with the armed forces, the Ministry of Health and Welfare or the Veterans Affairs Council began administering COVID-19 vaccines at night.
In an attempt to boost the vaccination coverage rate, the center is considering setting up vaccination sites at Pxmart Co Ltd’s （全聯實業） supermarkets, after the company reached out to the CECC yesterday, Chuang said.
The supermarket chain has provided a list of 174 outlets that the center could use as vaccination sites, he said, adding that local health authorities would review the sites’ suitability.
As of yesterday, first-dose coverage in Taiwan totaled 78 percent, while the full vaccination rate was 57.8 percent, CECC data showed.
The center reported 17 new cases of COVID-19 infection, all imported.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
