The nation’s full vaccination coverage rate is expected to reach 60 percent today, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday as it announced the 17th round of vaccinations, in which first and second doses of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines are to be offered.
As of Friday, the nation’s first-dose vaccination rate was 78.12 percent and the full vaccination rate 59.73 percent, said Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is the CECC’s spokesman.
The CECC had previously set a goal of achieving a full vaccination rate of 60 percent by the end of the year.
Photo: Hou Cheng-hsu, Taipei Times
However, thanks to cooperation between healthcare workers and the public, the goal is likely to be reached today, Chuang said.
The Executive Yuan has held three meetings this week to discuss how to further increase the nation’s full vaccination coverage rate to prevent another local outbreak, sources said.
To reach a full vaccination rate of at least 80 percent, it has ordered the establishment of vaccination stations at supermarkets and department stores for easy access, they said.
The CECC yesterday said first and second doses of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines would be offered in the 17th round of vaccinations.
Eligible recipients can register through the national COVID-19 vaccination booking system (https://1922.gov.tw) or make an appointment with designated healthcare facilities, it said.
Those eligible for a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine are unvaccinated people who were born on or before Dec. 9, 2003.
Eligible recipients for a second AstraZeneca dose or a mix-and-match regimen with a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are people who have received a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine on or before Oct. 14.
Unvaccinated people who were born on or before Dec. 9, 2009, are eligible for a first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine; and people who are 18 or older and received a first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on or before Nov. 11 are eligible for a second dose.
People can book an appointment for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine starting at 10am tomorrow. Bookings for the AstraZeneca vaccine start at 2pm tomorrow, while the deadlines for both are at noon on Tuesday. Vaccines would be administered from Thursday to Wednesday next week, the CECC said.
People who meet the vaccination requirements can also directly book an appointment for a first or second dose of any of the four available vaccines — AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Medigen — with a designated healthcare facility, it added.
Eligible recipients can also directly book an appointment with the healthcare facilities for the mix-and-match regimen — a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine following a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine — or a booster shot of the Moderna vaccine, it said.
The CECC yesterday reported 11 imported cases of COVID-19, nine of whom are vaccine breakthrough infections.
Additional reporting by Lee Hsin-fang
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