The US was yesterday to ship 2.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Taiwan, a senior US administration official told Reuters, more than tripling Washington’s previous allocation of shots for the nation.
Washington, competing with Beijing to deepen geopolitical clout through so-called “vaccine diplomacy,” had initially promised to donate 750,000 doses to Taiwan, but is increasing that number as US President Joe Biden’s administration advances its pledge to send 80 million US-made shots around the world.
The 2.5 million donated doses of the Moderna Inc vaccine would leave Memphis, Tennessee, on a flight belonging to Taiwan’s national carrier, China Airlines Ltd (中華航空), early yesterday and arrive in Taipei this evening, the senior US administration official said, adding that the prompt delivery was due to experts from both sides being able to work out regulatory issues.
Photo: Sam Yeh, AFP
Earlier in Taipei, asked by reporters about the donation, as well as reports that a separate shipment of Moderna shots purchased by the government would arrive in Taiwan today, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said: “I cannot confirm this at this time... I will report it as soon as everything is absolutely certain.”
The US official said: “We are not allocating these doses, or delivering these doses, based on political or economic conditions. We are donating these vaccines with the singular objective of saving lives.”
“Our vaccines do not come with strings attached,” the official said, adding that Taiwan had “faced unfair challenges in its efforts to acquire vaccines on the global marketplace.”
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
A deal for the nation to purchase vaccines from Germany’s BioNTech SE fell through this year, with the government blaming pressure from Beijing.
China has denied the accusation, saying Taiwan is free to obtain the vaccines through Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group Co Ltd (上海復星醫藥集團), which has a contract to sell BioNTech’s vaccine in China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
“We believe that these attempts by China to block purchases, for political purposes, are reprehensible,” the senior Biden administration official said.
The American Institute in Taiwan confirmed the donation in a Facebook post last night, saying that it "looks forward to the arrival in Taiwan tomorrow of 2.5 million doses of Moderna vaccine donated by the U.S. government."
In related news, people who received a first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine before May 9 would be eligible for a second shot starting on Wednesday, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday.
As of Friday, about 27,000 people had received both doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Taiwan, said Chen, who heads the center.
Starting on Wednesday, more doses of the vaccine would be delivered to local governments, allowing people who received a first dose of the vaccine before May 9 to get their second dose, he said.
Eligibility covers people who received the first dose under a government-funded program and those who paid for it, for an estimated 67,000 people in total, CECC data showed.
Clinical trials have shown that the AstraZeneca vaccine’s efficacy is about 71 percent at 22 days after the first dose, and could increase to 81 percent when the interval between the two doses is 12 weeks, the center said.
It urged people who received their first dose to get their second dose after 10 to 12 weeks, citing the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
Several cases of sudden death have been reported among elderly people following vaccination since Monday, when the AstraZeneca vaccine became available for people aged 75 or above.
Chen said 49 people aged 75 or older suddenly died following vaccination.
Preliminary autopsy results on four of the deceased showed that they died of cardiovascular disease, including atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, and ruptured aortic aneurysm, he said.
The CECC would continue to examine whether there were causal links between the deaths and COVID-19 vaccination, he added.
People with acute illness or unstable chronic health conditions should wait for their condition to stabilize before getting a shot, Chen said.
Those going to a vaccination site to receive a COVID-19 shot should stay hydrated and avoid staying under the sun for too long, he added.
Additional reporting by Lee I-chia
Conflict with Taiwan could leave China with “massive economic disruption, catastrophic military losses, significant social unrest, and devastating sanctions,” a US think tank said in a report released on Monday. The German Marshall Fund released a report titled If China Attacks Taiwan: The Consequences for China of “Minor Conflict” and “Major War” Scenarios. The report details the “massive” economic, military, social and international costs to China in the event of a minor conflict or major war with Taiwan, estimating that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could sustain losses of more than half of its active-duty ground forces, including 100,000 troops. Understanding Chinese
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
RSS