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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Google Maps to show vaccine availability
A medical worker prepares to administer a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in Kaohsiung yesterday. Photo: CNA
COOPERATION PLAN: Information on brands offered at vaccine sites is thus far only available on local health department Web sites, the CECC said, expecting high demand
By Lin Hui-chin and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNA
Google Maps might launch a feature showing which COVID-19 vaccine brands are available at which vaccination sites in Taiwan, the Central Epidemic Command Center （CECC） said on Tuesday.
Mixed vaccinations and booster shots would become available
tomorrow, the CECC said, adding that it expects surging demand in the coming weeks.
Eligibility for booster shots is initially limited to those aged 18 or older — or 20 or older for recipients of the Medigen vaccine — who received their second dose five or more months earlier, it said.
However, as vaccine availability might change, people might find it difficult to find a clinic or hospital that has their brand of choice, the center said.
Information on brand availability is so far only available on local health department Web sites, but Google Maps might soon add the information, as the center and the service are planning to cooperate, Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang （莊人祥）, who is the CECC’s spokesman, told the center’s daily news conference.
If the two sides strike a deal, vaccine availability would be added to vaccination sites’ Google Maps profile, Chuang said.
The center said that it recommends booster shots for two reasons:
Immunocompromised people require a third dose to achieve the same protection as those who had two doses and should get a booster to be considered fully vaccinated, it said.
Other people should get a booster shot, as this increases protection against new variants of SARS-CoV-2, the center said.
About 66 percent of eligible Taiwanese are fully vaccinated, while nearly 21 percent have yet to receive a single dose, so there is still room for improvement, especially as people are returning from abroad for the Lunar New Year holiday and the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is spreading, the CECC said, urging people to get vaccinated to protect themselves and others.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
