Taiwan is to take delivery of 450,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine early next month, which would be used to offer up to 900,000 shots for children aged six months to five years, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday.
The CECC announced the plans at an epidemic response meeting with Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), details of which were provided to the media by Executive Yuan spokesman Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成).
CECC officials at the meeting explained their preparations for the rollout of the Moderna vaccine for children under the age of five, after regulators granted emergency use authorization to the vaccine on Friday.
Photo courtesy of the Executive Yuan
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices would meet in the next few days to discuss vaccination procedures, the CECC said.
The center had previously said it expects to begin the vaccine rollout for the age group in the third week of next month.
Su asked the CECC to fully explain the risks and benefits of vaccinating young children against COVID-19, so that parents can make a fully informed decision on what is right for their child.
The CECC has not said what kind of uptake it expects for the age group. As of Monday last week, 73.5 percent of children aged five to 11 had received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, CECC data showed.
Separately yesterday, the CECC reported 50,561 new local COVID-19 cases and 172 deaths.
The ages of the deceased ranged from three years to over 90. Of the 172 deceased, 166 had chronic illnesses or other severe diseases, and 68 were unvaccinated, said Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), the CECC’s acting spokesman and medical response division deputy head.
The three-year-old boy had a pre-existing neurological disorder, he said, adding that he developed a fever of 40°C on June 7 and tested positive for COVID-19 later that day.
While being treated in an intensive care unit, doctors also found that the boy had diabetic ketoacidosis, a complication of diabetes. He passed away on Tuesday last week due to septic shock, and heart and lung failure, the CECC said.
The CECC also said that 140 previously reported COVID-19 cases had become severe, while 145 other individuals had developed moderate symptoms of the disease.
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