The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday announced that those eligible for the 11th round of COVID-19 vaccinations would begin to book appointments on two separate days.
Those eligible for their first dose of Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE’s COVID-19 vaccine can book a vaccination appointment from 10am on Monday next week, while those eligible for a second dose of AstraZeneca PLC’s vaccine can book an appointment from 10am on Tuesday next week, said Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is the CECC’s spokesperson.
A reminder text message is to be sent to those eligible from 2pm on the day before they can book an appointment, he said.
Photo: Lee Jung-ping, Taipei Times
Regarding Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp’s (高端疫苗) vaccine, Chuang said that anyone aged 20 or older who has not yet received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine is eligible to book a vaccination appointment directly with a contracted healthcare facility or a hospital affiliated with the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
Those who received their first dose of the Medigen vaccine more than 28 days ago can book an appointment for the second directly with a healthcare facility, without going through the national online COVID-19 vaccination booking system, he added.
As more of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been arriving in Taiwan than other vaccine brands, the center has been asked whether it would consider allowing the mix-and-match approach.
Eligibility for Pfizer-BioNTech has been expanded to those aged 47 or older, as well as young people aged 12 to 22, so if more shipments of the brand arrive soon, eligibility is likely to be extended to those aged 12 or older who have yet to receive their first dose, Chuang said.
Yesterday, the center reported no new local COVID-19 infections or deaths, but there were five imported cases, including one breakthrough case: a Taiwan-based airline pilot who became infected.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said that the pilot lives in Taipei.
She quarantined for five days at a hotel after returning to Taiwan and tested negative in a polymerase chain reaction test before going home for enhanced self-health management, but tested positive on Tuesday, with a cycle threshold (CT) value of 33, he said in response to media queries.
The case is temporarily listed as an imported case, Chen said.
Chuang said that a second test yesterday morning showed that her CT value had dropped to 22, indicating a higher viral load, while an antibody test indicated that she had contracted the virus recently.
CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), deputy head of the CECC’s medical response division, said that AstraZeneca was the vaccine used in the three previous cases of breakthrough infections involving Taiwan-based airline pilots, while this pilot had received Moderna Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine.
The pilot had contact with her two children at home, so their two classes at two elementary schools were suspended as a precaution.
Taipei Deputy Mayor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) said that 114 students and teachers at two elementary schools — in Daan District (大安) and Wenshan District (文山) — as well as a cram school at which the two children studied in on Mondays and Tuesdays, have been ordered to practice enhanced self-health management.
The two classes are to be suspended for five days — until Sunday — and the students and teachers were instructed to get tested for COVID-19 from yesterday, she said.
MAKING WAVES: China’s maritime militia could become a nontraditional threat in war, clogging up shipping lanes to prevent US or Japanese intervention, a report said About 1,900 Chinese ships flying flags of convenience and fishing vessels that participated in China’s military exercises around Taiwan last month and in January have been listed for monitoring, Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said yesterday. Following amendments to the Commercial Port Act (商港法) and the Law of Ships (船舶法) last month, the CGA can designate possible berthing areas or deny ports of call for vessels suspected of loitering around areas where undersea cables can be accessed, Oceans Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said. The list of suspected ships, originally 300, had risen to about 1,900 as
Japan’s strategic alliance with the US would collapse if Tokyo were to turn away from a conflict in Taiwan, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday, but distanced herself from previous comments that suggested a possible military response in such an event. Takaichi expressed her latest views on a nationally broadcast TV program late on Monday, where an opposition party leader criticized her for igniting tensions with China with the earlier remarks. Ties between Japan and China have sunk to the worst level in years after Takaichi said in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could bring about a Japanese
Right-wing political scientist Laura Fernandez on Sunday won Costa Rica’s presidential election by a landslide, after promising to crack down on rising violence linked to the cocaine trade. Fernandez’s nearest rival, economist Alvaro Ramos, conceded defeat as results showed the ruling party far exceeding the threshold of 40 percent needed to avoid a runoff. With 94 percent of polling stations counted, the political heir of outgoing Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves had captured 48.3 percent of the vote compared with Ramos’ 33.4 percent, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal said. As soon as the first results were announced, members of Fernandez’s Sovereign People’s Party
MORE RESPONSIBILITY: Draftees would be expected to fight alongside professional soldiers, likely requiring the transformation of some training brigades into combat units The armed forces are to start incorporating new conscripts into combined arms brigades this year to enhance combat readiness, the Executive Yuan’s latest policy report said. The new policy would affect Taiwanese men entering the military for their compulsory service, which was extended to one year under reforms by then-president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in 2022. The conscripts would be trained to operate machine guns, uncrewed aerial vehicles, anti-tank guided missile launchers and Stinger air defense systems, the report said, adding that the basic training would be lengthened to eight weeks. After basic training, conscripts would be sorted into infantry battalions that would take
RSS