The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Tuesday rejected a rumor that government-funded influenza vaccinations were delayed this year because vaccines had been “snatched up” by China.
Government-funded flu shots are to be available from Nov. 15, later than previous years.
There was a rumor that local health centers said the reason for the delay was because China had taken the vaccines, and that the program could even be delayed for another month, the centers said.
Calling the rumor “ridiculous,” the centers said that government-funded quadrivalent vaccines would be available from Nov. 15 and administered in phases.
CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said that he has not heard of China importing flu vaccines, as it produces them domestically.
Taiwan’s government-funded vaccinations are supplied by domestic vaccine maker Adimmune Corp (國光生物科技) and French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi, which has not been affected by China, Lo said.
As government-funded flu shots are available from Nov. 15 and out-of-pocket vaccinations began on Oct. 22, some parents of preschoolers are worried that their children might not receive the government-funded one in time or that the vaccines would have run out by the second phase when young children are eligible, Lo said, adding that another of their concerns is whether the out-of-pocket vaccines are of better quality.
This year, the government-funded and out-of-pocket vaccinations are both quadrivalent vaccines that went through the same inspection process, and would have the same effect, he said.
The CDC estimates that about 1.14 million preschoolers must be vaccinated this season, including about 500,000 infants between the ages of six months and three years.
The centers said that 6.08 million government-funded flu vaccines have been procured this year, including 4.13 million for children over the age of three and 1.95 million for infants older than six months, so according to the vaccination rate of previous years, the number of vaccines prepared for this year would be enough.
Lo said that the centers forecast that the peak flu season would be in January next year and urged people who are eligible for the government-funded vaccination to be inoculated before then.
People who spread false information that undermines social security could be sentenced to three days in jail or face a fine of up to NT$30,000 under to the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法), the centers said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
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
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