People eligible for government-funded influenza vaccines should get their shot as soon as possible, as more than 90 percent of the doses procured for this flu season have been used and fewer than 300,000 remain, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.
Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said that 39,676 hospital visits for flu-like illness were reported last week, about 1.3 percent more than the previous week.
However, while the weekly case numbers are rising, they are still lower than the 72,428 visits in the same week last year, Guo said.
Photo: CNA
Among clustered respiratory infections and flu-like illness reported in the past four weeks, 14 clusters were caused by respiratory syncytial virus infections, he said.
CDC physician Su Chia-ping (蘇家彬) said that since this year’s flu vaccine program started on Oct. 5, more than 5.606 million doses had been administered as of Monday, or about 92.9 percent of the vaccines.
The flu shot coverage rate among people aged 65 or older is 49.8 percent, near the target coverage of 52.5 percent for the age group, while the coverage rate among preschool children aged six months or older is 45.7 percent, also close to the target of 55.5 percent, Su said.
From Tuesday next week, people aged from 50 to 64 who do not have underlying health conditions that bear a higher risk of serious flu complications would again be eligible for government-funded shot, so the stocks are expected to deplete faster next month, he said.
CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said that, excluding vaccines reserved for school students and preschool children, there are about 200,000 doses remaining, and another 60,000 expected to arrive next month.
The government-funded vaccines are expected to run out by the middle of next month, he said, adding that eligible people who want to get vaccinated are advised to check the CDC’s dedicated Web site at https://antiflu.cdc.gov.tw and call medical centers to confirm that doses are available before going to get a shot.
In related news, Chuang, who is also the Central Epidemic Command Center’s spokesman, said that Taiwan has paid a deposit for COVID-19 vaccines to the COVAX platform — a global alliance to ensure that members have equitable access to vaccines.
Based on the COVAX mechanism, member countries would receive enough doses to vaccinate 10 to 50 percent of their populations, he said.
As the vaccine requires two shots, Taiwan is expected to secure at least 4.6 million doses — for 10 percent of the population — in the first quarter of next year at the earliest, he said.
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
An aviation jacket patch showing a Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh has become popular overseas, including at an aviation festival held by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force at the Ashiya Airbase yesterday. The patch was designed last year by Taiwanese designer Hsu Fu-yu (徐福佑), who said that it was inspired by Taiwan’s countermeasures against frequent Chinese military aircraft incursions. The badge shows a Formosan black bear holding a Republic of China flag as it punches Winnie the Pooh — a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — who is dressed in red and is holding a honey pot with
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
NINTH MONTH: There were 11,792 births in Taiwan last month and 15,563 deaths, or a mortality rate of 8.11 per 1,000 people, household registration data showed Taiwan’s population was 23,404,138 as of last month, down 2,470 from August, the ninth consecutive month this year that the nation has reported a drop, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday. The population last month was 162 fewer than the same month last year, a decline of 0.44 per day, the ministry said, citing household registration data. Taiwan reported 11,792 births last month, or 3.7 births per day, up 149 from August, it said, adding that the monthly birthrate was 6.15 per 1,000 people. The jurisdictions with the highest birthrates were Yunlin County at 14.62 per 1,000 people, Penghu County (8.61
RSS