Hundreds of people, particularly the elderly, lined up outside hospitals yesterday to receive free seasonal flu vaccinations, the first day of the government’s flu-prevention campaign for this year.
Before midday, nearly 1,000 people had received a number from the Taipei Veterans General Hospital to get their free vaccination in anticipation of the approaching peak flu season.
A long line also formed at Taipei City Hospital’s Renai Branch.
Photo: Nicky Loh, Reuters
An 85-year-old man surnamed Hsueh (薛), accompanying his wheelchair-bound wife to the hospital for vaccination, said he and his wife had received flu inoculations every year for the last five years.
“We are healthier and have spent less on medicine and doctor visits since receiving the vaccinations,” he said.
“The vaccine protects my child,” said a mother who had brought her two-year-old to the hospital to receive a free shot.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) deputy director-general Shih Wen-yi (施文儀) said the center had purchased nearly 3 million doses of seasonal flu vaccine this year — from a local firm, Adimmune Corp, as well as foreign suppliers, Novartis and Sanofi-Aventis.
“The vaccines have been distributed to 3,662 public health institutions nationwide,” he said.
“Supplies will be smooth and adequate, unlike last year, when the inoculation process had to be halted because of a shortage,” he said.
The vaccination program will run until Nov. 30, for citizens over the age of 65, children aged six months to 10, medical personnel in charge of disease control and prevention, poultry breeders and patients with rare or serious diseases, he said.
If the number of doses exceeds requirements, he said, any surplus would be made available to the general public from Dec. 1.
People who are not on the priority list for free inoculation can still get vaccinated for NT$500 to NT$600 a shot, Shih said.
Health authorities began offering free vaccinations against seasonal flu in 1998, and added swine flu — officially known as influenza A(H1N1) — last year amid global fears over A(H1N1), which can be fatal.
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