Taiwan has a COVID-19 vaccine shortage due to shipment delays, and the choice of shots is limited to the AstraZeneca or Moderna brands. Since the current otubreak began, Taiwanese unable to get inoculated at home have considered whether it might be worth getting vaccinated overseas, such as in a major US city on the west coast, like Los Angeles or San Francisco, or in the state of Alaska.
Although some can stomach a long-haul flight of 10 hours or more to the US west coast, the good news is that the Guam Visitors Bureau has launched a tourism package allowing foreign visitors to receive COVID-19 vaccinations while vacationing there — and the flight is only four hours. Many Taiwanese are attracted by this possibility.
A Spanish study published in the scientific journal Nature found that a combination of AstraZeneca for the first dose followed by the Moderna vaccine for the second can produce a more effective immunological response than with two doses of the same vaccine.
On Tuesday last week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel received Moderna for her second shot — her first had been AstraZeneca.
Some studies suggest that mixing vaccine brands, with AstraZeneca followed by a vaccine that uses the newer mRNA technology, can produce a better immunological response than having two AstraZeneca shots.
The Taiwan Medical Association has called for a similar regime — an AstraZeneca dose followed by a dose of an mRNA vaccine — to be used in Taiwan.
Taiwan so far has no Pfizer vaccines to offer, and the Moderna vaccine, which also uses the mRNA technology, is only available in limited amounts. Taiwanese do not have the luxury of choice or the liberty to use the mixed vaccine method.
Vaccine tourism has the potential to satisfy that unmet demand. At a time when the tourism industry has been buffeted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the ability to offer package tours would come as a welcome relief to travel agents, as well as give many Taiwanese who want their preference of vaccine the opportunity to choose, without needing to travel all the way to the US’ west coast.
The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) should look into the viability of allowing vaccination tour groups. After all, drastic times call for drastic measures.
Several groups would benefit from offering trips to Guam for a Pfizer or Moderna mRNA shot. Those who had an AstraZeneca shot as their first dose could go abroad after December for an mRNA shot as their second dose, while those who have not yet had their first shot, but who should have a vaccine other than AstraZeneca, could go for an mRNA shot as their first dose. Those who have had a Moderna shot as their first dose could go abroad for another mRNA shot as their second.
All in all, the best-case scenario would be for those who first had an AstraZeneca shot to travel to Guam to get an mRNA vaccine for their second. Parents could take teenagers aged 12 to 15 to get a Pfizer shot as well.
If the local outbreak slows over the summer, the government should assess whether allowing tour groups to get vaccinated in Guam would be of benefit — and whether it could be carried out in compliance with the CECC’s disease prevention measures.
Guam vaccine tours would not only give the tourism sector a much needed shot in the arm, it would also increase the choice of vaccines for Taiwanese, who could then decide for themselves which manufacturer and which mix to get. It would also allow Taiwan to collect more diverse vaccination data.
Importantly, it would bolster the nation’s efforts to achieve herd immunity.
Robin Wang is a medical doctor.
Translated by Paul Cooper
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