None of the COVID-19 vaccines that have received emergency use authorization in Taiwan contain pig cells, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday, as it reported four local and 14 imported COVID-19 cases, and zero deaths.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said some people are concerned about getting vaccinated due to religious reasons, including restrictions on the consumption of pork.
“The COVID-19 vaccines being administered now and those that are about to be imported into Taiwan, including the AstraZeneca, Moderna, Medigen and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, all do not contain cells from pigs,” he said.
Photo courtesy of the Central Epidemic Command Center
Chen said that aside from Taiwan’s Medigen vaccine, which just received emergency use authorization last month, the other three vaccines have been widely administered and certified as halal in several Muslim countries.
On Monday, 49,152 COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered, bringing the nation’s vaccination coverage to 39.21 percent, he said.
Chen also urged people who are eligible to receive a first shot of the Medigen vaccine between Monday and Sunday next week, to book an appointment as soon as possible, as the reservation deadline ends at 12pm today.
The four local cases reported yesterday tested positive during isolation, and the infection sources for two of them are still unclear, the CECC said.
Taipei and New Taipei City each reported two of the local cases, Chen said.
Of the 14 imported cases, nine had returned to Taiwan on a charter flight from Myanmar, while two had returned from the US, two from the UK and one from Australia, he said.
The people who arrived on the charter flight were taken to a centralized quarantine facility in Yilan County after arrival, and those who tested positive were hospitalized.
Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), the CECC’s spokesperson, said that four of the imported cases were fully vaccinated: Two had received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and two had received the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Meanwhile, Chen said its was suggested at a meeting of the CECC’s legal affairs division on Monday that introducing a COVID-19 vaccination passport would not yet be suitable, as the nation’s vaccination rate is not high enough, and it might mislead people to think they need the passport to enter some venues.
Asked about a younger person in the ninth vaccination priority group — people who have a high-risk disease, a rare disease or catastrophic illness — who was told by a doctor to get the Moderna vaccine, but has still not had a chance to be vaccinated, Chen said that people of all ages in the ninth priority group are eligible for the AstraZeneca and the Medigen vaccines, but the Moderna vaccine has only been offered to people aged 53 or older in the ninth priority group.
Eligibility might be extended to younger people in the ninth group when more Moderna doses arrive, he said.
If people have a condition or urgently need to receive the Moderna vaccine, they can contact the CECC or a local health department, he added.
As the COVID-19 “travel bubble” between Taiwan and Palau resumed last week and many travelers planned to get a second dose of vaccine in Palau, Chen was asked if people should receive a second dose of the Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, as Palau announced it would stop offering the Moderna vaccine from tomorrow.
Chen said Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine has not been approved for use in Taiwan yet, so there are no guidelines for mixing a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine with a second dose of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine.
The CECC would not recommend it, he added.
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