The Consumers’ Foundation is opposing plans for locally developed vaccines to bypass phase 3 clinical trials.
However, it urged the government to find more sources from which to acquire vaccines and to increase monetary incentives for those willing to be vaccinated.
The government’s COVID-19 pandemic prevention policy, while having sustained the nation for the past year and four months is rapidly falling behind that of other nations in terms of vaccinations, the foundation told a news conference in Taipei on Friday.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
Taiwan’s rates of obtaining vaccines and vaccinating its residents are low, the foundation added.
The Central Epidemic Command Center has said that it has purchased nearly 20 million doses from the COVAX program, AstraZeneca and other sources, but to date only about 315,700 doses, or 1.59 percent, have been delivered, it said.
The center has said that Taiwan has received 199,200 AstraZeneca vaccine doses from COVAX, which expire on May 31, and 117,000 doses directly from AstraZeneca, which expire on June 15.
Taiwan has signed deals to buy 10 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, 5.05 million Moderna doses, and 4.76 million doses of unspecified brands through the COVAX program, which has so far allocated 1.02 million AstraZeneca shots to Taiwan.
The foundation said government records show that 129,669, or 41 percent of obtained vaccines, have been administered to the public, adding that those who have received the jab only comprise 0.55 percent of Taiwan’s population.
This is a far cry from the 60 to 70 percent inoculation rate needed for herd immunity, the foundation said.
It urged local pharmaceutical companies to emulate South Korean companies, which have obtained the rights to manufacture AstraZeneca vaccines.
Plans to order 20 million doses of vaccines researched in Taiwan and manufactured by local companies have yet to be realized, as local vaccines are still undergoing phase 2 clinical trials, the foundation said.
Moreover, phase 3 trials are an important step in which the vaccines’ effectiveness and safety are put to the test, and the foundation is opposed to locally researched vaccines bypassing the stage, it said.
Many of the vaccines on the market have had expedited trials, exposing those taking the vaccination to greater risk, the foundation said.
Many countries have been offering subsidies, empowered by special legislation, to increase people’s willingness to take the jab, the foundation said, adding that the government should also consider such measures.
Additional reporting by CNA
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
The brilliant blue waters, thick foliage and bucolic atmosphere on this seemingly idyllic archipelago deep in the Pacific Ocean belie the key role it now plays in a titanic geopolitical struggle. Palau is again on the front line as China, and the US and its allies prepare their forces in an intensifying contest for control over the Asia-Pacific region. The democratic nation of just 17,000 people hosts US-controlled airstrips and soon-to-be-completed radar installations that the US military describes as “critical” to monitoring vast swathes of water and airspace. It is also a key piece of the second island chain, a string of
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck about 33km off the coast of Hualien City was the "main shock" in a series of quakes in the area, with aftershocks expected over the next three days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Prior to the magnitude 5.9 quake shaking most of Taiwan at 6:53pm yesterday, six other earthquakes stronger than a magnitude of 4, starting with a magnitude 5.5 quake at 6:09pm, occurred in the area. CWA Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富) confirmed that the quakes were all part of the same series and that the magnitude 5.5 temblor was
RSS