The government-funded seasonal influenza vaccination program is to be expanded and shots are to be made available free of charge to more people starting on Oct. 1 through physicians and clinics in light of the current influenza epidemic, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said on Thursday.
In Taiwan, the flu season is considered to commence about October and run through March.
The CDC said that over the past few years, doses of free flu vaccines were made available from Oct. 1 for high-risk groups, including people aged 65 and over; children older than six months or attending elementary school; patients with rare or acute diseases; healthcare workers; pregnant women; and people aged between 50 and 64 with high-risk chronic illnesses.
This year, the CDC is to ask for between NT$600 million and NT$700 million (US$18.45 million and US$21.53 million) in funding from the central government for the procurement of more flu vaccine doses, so that the agency can make an estimated 6.15 million doses available for eligible recipients, about 2.99 million doses more than last year, the agency said.
This year, people aged 50 or older with high-risk chronic illnesses, people with body mass indices higher than 30, women who have given birth within the past six months, adults aged 50 to 64 and high-school students aged 13 to 18 are eligible to receive the free immunization, in that order of priority.
In light of the rising number of B-type influenza cases that have recently been reported across the nation, this year’s flu season could last longer, Taiwan Immunization Vision and Strategy director-general Lee Ping-ing (李秉穎) said.
The CDC has initially expanded its free vaccination program to people showing flu-like symptoms and is to extend a deadline for the program from late this month to April 4, it added.
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has “returned home” to Taiwan, and there are no plans to hold a funeral for the TV star who died in Japan from influenza- induced pneumonia, her family said in a statement Wednesday night. The statement was released after local media outlets reported that Barbie Hsu’s ashes were brought back Taiwan on board a private jet, which arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. To the reporters waiting at the airport, the statement issued by the family read “(we) appreciate friends working in the media for waiting in the cold weather.” “She has safely returned home.
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