More people have been more willing to go to hospitals to receive free seasonal flu shots so far this year than last year, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, four days after the vaccination program for this year began.
Of the 2.66 million free influenza shots available for high-risk groups, 220,000 were used between Saturday and Monday, CDC Deputy Director Shih Wen-yi (施文儀) said. This represents 60,000 more vaccinations than in the same period last year, Shih said.
If the vaccination rate remains high over the next couple of months, there would not be any free shots available for the general public after high-risk groups are vaccinated. Last year, free shots were given to the general public during the winter season because of a relatively low vaccination rate among those most at risk of catching the flu.
High-risk groups include people 65 years of age or older, nursing home residents, people with rare diseases or serious illnesses, children aged six months to 10 years, medical staff and people working in the livestock sector.
Those not on the priority list but who work among potentially high-transmission groups are urged to get vaccinated at their own expense, the deputy director said.
Kindergarten teachers, for example, can protect their students from contracting and spreading influenza by getting vaccinated themselves first. So far, pharmaceutical giant Novartis has allocated 300,000 shots for people in Taiwan who want to purchase vaccines, Shih said.
To encourage high-risk groups to get shots, CDC Director Chang Feng-yi (張烽益), whose position qualifies him for the free vaccination program, was vaccinated at a press conference.
Chang said that with temperatures beginning to drop and the flu season arriving soon, people should take extra precautions to prevent illnesses. He identified three strains of influenza that are expected to be present in the country this year — H1N1, H3N2 and influenza B — and said the risk of getting sick is greatly reduced if one is vaccinated against the viruses.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS