Starting tomorrow, people in the top three priority groups can be inoculated with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday.
Vaccination with the Moderna shot has been opened to the top three groups, said Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, adding that 73,200 doses have been set aside.
Of the 150,000 doses in the first Moderna shipment to Taiwan, about 75,000 doses limited to frontline workers, or the first priority group, were on Wednesday last week distributed to local governments.
Photo: CNA
As of yesterday, 37,505 people had gotten a Modern shot, CECC data showed.
Of the 73,200 doses, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) would receive 10,000, while the remaining doses would be distributed to cover those in the three groups who have yet to be vaccinated — about 40 percent nationwide, but more than 50 percent in Taipei and New Taipei City, he said.
The MOTC would use its doses to vaccinate designated groups of people in the second and third priority groups: 5,000 doses for crew members and aircraft maintenance workers employed by seven domestic commercial airlines, and 5,000 for frontline workers at airports and national borders, the center said.
The risk of infection remains high, including the risk of exposure to COVID-19 variants at points of entry into Taiwan, Chen said, emphasizing the importance of vaccinating these workers.
Asked if other Moderna shipments would soon arrive — as half of the first shipment has been set aside by the center as people’s second dose — Chen called it an “astute” question, saying that “of course preparations have been made.”
More than 140,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were administered on Monday — after the AstraZeneca shot was opened nationwide to the top six priority groups — which was “speedy administration” for the first day, Chen said.
The center is thankful to all local government officials, police officers, healthcare professionals and other personnel who helped in achieving such high efficiency, he said, adding that he is confident that once there is an adequate supply of vaccine doses, Taiwan can achieve the goal of administering up to 1 million doses per week.
The center has received one report of death following COVID-19 vaccination, said Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is the CECC spokesman.
On Monday, a man in his 80s visited a community vaccination center on his own and got inoculated, but family members found him on Tuesday afternoon not breathing, Chuang said.
The man had underlying health conditions — including diabetes, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic hepatitis B, intracranial hemorrhage and coronary artery disease — and had been hospitalized for an acute myocardial infarction in January, he added.
While health department officials and a prosecutor have inspected the case, a forensic scientist was expected to visit the family yesterday, Chuang said.
Asked about two elderly people who died after getting vaccinated, which a local government reported yesterday, Chuang said that the center had not yet received the reports on the two cases.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft