People aged 12 or older with low immunity are eligible for COVID-19 booster shots at least 28 days after their second dose, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday.
Those with congenitally or chronic condition-induced low immunity should get a booster dose to be adequately protected from COVID-19, Mackay Memorial Hospital Division of Pediatric Infection physician Chiu Nan-chang (邱南昌) told a CECC news conference.
Eligible are people living with cancer or HIV, those currently or over the past year undergoing immunotherapy, those currently or over the past six months undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy, those who have recently received organ or stem cell transplants, those with moderate to severe congenital immunity deficiency, those undergoing hemodialysis, those taking high-concentration immunosuppressive drugs, and those with a diagnosed low immunity, he said.
Photo courtesy of Central Epidemic Command Center
Chiu said there are two kinds of booster shots: add-on boosters that should only be administered five months after the second dose and boosters to increase baseline protection that can be administered within 28 days of the second dose.
Taiwan would administer half doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine as add-on boosters to those who have received the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as their first and second doses, he said, adding that boosters to increase baseline protection would be full Moderna doses.
While all common vaccine brands offer protection against the virus, AstraZeneca would not be used in the booster program, as it does not offer much added protection, Chiu said.
The CECC prioritizes the Medigen, Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines, Chiu said.
Those who have had bad experiences with any of the booster brands could ask their doctors for AstraZeneca baseline protection boosters, he added.
Meanwhile, the CECC yesterday said that four previously reported COVID-19 cases on travelers involved the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2.
Taiwan reported its first Omicron case on Dec. 11. The cases confirmed yesterday have brought Taiwan’s total to 16.
They are all imported cases who tested positive for COVID-19 either upon entering Taiwan or during quarantine, CECC data showed.
In related news, the Ministry of National Defense said that those entering service at military bases would from Saturday next week have to show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19.
Those who are not fully vaccinated would have to provide a negative polymerase chain reaction COVID-19 test result from within one week of entering service and undergo rapid-screening tests every week, the ministry said.
The CECC yesterday said that four previously reported COVID-19 cases involved the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2.
Taiwan reported its first Omicron case on Dec. 11. The cases confirmed yesterday have brought Taiwan’s total to 16.
They are all imported cases who tested positive for COVID-19 either upon entering Taiwan or during quarantine, CECC data showed.
Additional reporting by CNA
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