Anyone willing to receive a second COVID-19 vaccine jab using a different brand after receiving a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine can book an appointment online starting today, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday.
Appointments for the mix-and-match approach can be made on the government’s 1922 vaccination Web site from 10am to 4pm today, with the shots to be administered tomorrow and on Sunday, said Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center.
The center on Wednesday said that people who have received one dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, but have not yet received their second dose after eight weeks or more, could register to receive a Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech shot.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
The CECC spokesman, Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), said that about 228,000 people have so far registered, expressing their preference for the mix-and-match approach, the first time it has been made available since Taiwan’s vaccine rollout began in late March.
Although the appointment window is only six hours today, Chen said there would be another opportunity when the number of remaining Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech doses at hospitals nationwide have been determined.
The CECC also announced that another shipment of the Moderna vaccine, comprising 1.15 million doses from the US vaccine maker, arrived in Taiwan yesterday afternoon.
The expiration date on these doses is Jan. 24, Chen said.
Taiwan has received about 6.09 million Moderna vaccine doses to date, Chen said, adding the latest Moderna delivery is the final one of the year for this brand.
Meanwhile, Taiwan yesterday reported three new cases of COVID-19, all contracted overseas, and no new deaths from the disease, the CECC said.
The cases involve one Taiwanese and two foreign nationals from Poland and Indonesia, it said.
In other developments, the first group of migrant workers from Indonesia arrived in Taiwan on Wednesday after an entry ban was lifted last week.
The seven new arrivals underwent a rapid test for COVID-19 and were transported to facilities where they are to spend their 14-day quarantine.
The arrivals were among 109 migrant workers from Indonesia who have registered with the Ministry of Labor to enter Taiwan.
Taiwan banned the entry of Indonesian migrant workers in December last year in response to a surge in COVID-19 cases imported from the Southeast Asian country.
While the ban was lifted on Nov. 11, the entry of migrant workers is set to be suspended again from Dec. 14 to Feb. 14 due to concerns over limited quarantine space ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays.
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