People who get vaccinated against COVID-19 under a government-subsidized program would no longer have to pay administrative surcharges, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday.
The NT$300 (US$10.82) administration fee for the jabs would be waived from today, eliminating all out-of-pocket fees for government-funded COVID-19 vaccines, the center said.
On Saturday, the CECC said that the fee would not be covered by a NT$4 billion COVID-19 relief budget approved last week.
Photo: Ting Wei-chieh, Taipei Times
Part of the funding would be allocated to local governments for setting vaccine sites, it said.
Taipei and New Taipei City offer the subsidized jabs to medical workers, epidemic prevention workers and other workers at higher risk of COVID-19 exposure, while the rest of the nation only offers the free vaccines to medical workers.
As of Thursday last week, 678,418 doses had been administered nationwide, the CECC said.
Meanwhile, Tzeng Yi-suo (曾怡碩) and Chang Tun-cheng (張敦程), researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, in a report on Saturday said that the CECC should set up vaccination sites similar to military field hospitals or assign military personnel to conduct open-air mass inoculations.
The comments came after the CECC on Wednesday last week said that it aims to administer 1 million doses per week, and would therefore establish community inoculation stations, large-scale inoculations sites and outreach services.
Tzeng and Chang said that clinics and hospitals that offer vaccinations have said that they would have to establish a reservation system to avoid crowding, prompting the CECC and some hospitals to discuss the establishment of large-scale vaccination sites operated by hospital staff.
The report seeks to inform the CECC of how the military would set up field hospitals in the event of a chemical warfare attack, they said, adding that the contingency planning involves collection points, medical stations, transport and quarantine facilities.
The military could assist in conducting large-scale inoculations, they said.
Separately, the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation on Saturday said that it can provide 40 sites for outdoor inoculation and that it invited government officials to inspect them.
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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