Taiwan has ordered about 2 million doses of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine through the global vaccine sharing initiative COVAX, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said yesterday.
However, it is not clear when the first shipment would arrive and how many doses it would contain, said Chen, who heads the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
The Food and Drug Administration is reviewing technical data on the Novavax vaccine as part of its emergency use authorization process, he added.
Photo: Reuters
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has recommended that the vaccine be given to people aged 18 or older as first, second or booster shots, Chen said.
The interval between the first and second doses should be 28 days, and a booster shot should follow 12 weeks after a second dose, he said.
Asked whether there is interest in the vaccine in Taiwan, Chen said that subunit vaccines like Novavax are suitable for people who are allergic to other types of COVID-19 vaccines offered in Taiwan, or those who are put off by the potentially more severe side effects of other vaccines.
Photo courtesy of the CECC
While the locally developed Medigen vaccine is also a subunit vaccine, it has not yet been approved by the WHO, which could lead people to choose the Novavax vaccine instead, he said.
Taiwan has ordered 4.76 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from COVAX, of which 1.02 million doses, all of the AstraZeneca brand, have been delivered, the CECC said.
Meanwhile, the ACIP said that a meeting with experts recommended against giving COVID-19 vaccines to children aged 5 to 11, and advised against administering booster shots to those aged 12 to 17.
Photo: CNA
In other developments, Taiwan reported 15 domestic COVID-19 cases, including 13 from a new cluster at a chemical plant in Kaohsiung.
An employee at the plant began to show symptoms on Wednesday, and her test results came back positive yesterday, Chen said.
Subsequent testing found that 10 other employees had also contracted COVID-19, as well as two of their family members, one of whom is a high-school student, he said.
The student’s classmates and homeroom teacher have tested negative and have been asked to quarantine, Chen said.
The 45 employees at the chemical plant who tested negative are also in quarantine, and the plant is to suspend operations, he said.
The CECC has not yet identified the source of the cluster, he said.
The other two domestic cases tested positive in quarantine, and their infections are related to a cluster of unknown origin centered on a wedding in Chiayi City, Chen said.
Each of the local cases reported yesterday had received either two or three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, the CECC said.
Taiwan yesterday also reported 124 imported cases of COVID-19, the highest daily total recorded since the pandemic began, Chen said.
The previous record was on Saturday last week, when 120 imported cases were reported.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS