The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in a meeting next month would discuss who would be eligible to receive government-funded COVID-19 vaccines in fall and winter, Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) said yesterday.
Chiu was attending a meeting of the legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee.
After US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr on Tuesday announced that the US would no longer place children and pregnant women on the list of people recommended to be vaccinated against COVID-19, reporters asked Chiu whether the ministry is planning to follow suit.
Photo: Wang Yi-song, Taipei Times
“The ministry would decide on which groups would be recommended to receive COVID-19 vaccines following expert discussions at the ACIP,” Chiu said.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Taiwan has increased for seven consecutive weeks, ministry data showed.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimated that the peak of the epidemic would not arrive until the end of next month or the beginning of July, with the number of people seeking medical attention potentially reaching 150,000 to 200,000.
The US is expected to scale down the recommended groups to receive COVID-19 vaccines in a meeting next month, CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said.
The ACIP is also scheduled to convene around the middle of next month to discuss which groups of people would be eligible to receive government-funded COVID-19 vaccines in fall and winter, Lo said.
The US CDC has yet to update information on its Web site regarding groups recommended to receive COVID-19 shots, Lo said.
“Experts would discuss whether it is feasible to encourage people to get both COVID-19 and flu shots,” Lo said.
The CDC advised children aged six months or older to receive government-funded COVID-19 vaccines, and those aged 65 or older who have received the first dose at least six months ago to get the second dose.
Regarding reports that people have trouble obtaining COVID-19 test kits, Chiu said that the government has requested that manufacturers restart production.
They decreased production after the COVID-19 pandemic eased, he said.
“We have asked manufacturers to prepare stock by producing more than the estimated need for test kits. About 40,000 test kits would be delivered to pharmacies and convenience stores first. People do not need to stockpile test kits as supply would soon exceed demand,” Chiu said.
The nation has enough Paxlovid — an oral medicine used for treatment of COVID-19 — for 460,000 people, Chiu said, adding that usually about 100,000 doses is administered when there is an uptick of COVID-19 cases.
More than 600,000 test kits would be available for purchase weekly once manufacturers ramp up production, Food and Drug Administration Director-General Chiang Chih-kang (姜至剛) said.
The test kit shortage would be addressed in a week, Chiang said.
CDC Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said that the center has delivered about 110,000 doses of COVID-19 jabs this week and last week.
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