A new flu vaccine is to be available for free to certain residents in Taiwan starting on Oct. 1, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.
At a news briefing, CDC spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said the new trivalent flu vaccines were introduced following WHO guidance to replace the quadrivalent version, removing the B/Yamagata strain, which has not caused outbreaks since March 2020.
Elementary, high-school and first-to-third grade junior college students can receive their shots at school once their parents have signed an online consent form, Tseng said.
File photo: Taipei Times
For the new program, the government purchased more than 6.86 million doses of flu vaccine from five manufacturers, with Taiwan’s Adimmune Corp supplying 47.5 percent, CDC data showed.
As in recent years, Taiwan is to launch its free vaccination program ahead of the annual flu season, which usually begins in November, peaks over winter and winds down in March.
The program is to be carried out in two phases.
In the first phase, eligible groups include minors from six months old through senior-high school; seniors aged 65 and over; medical workers; people with high-risk, chronic, rare or serious diseases or severe injuries; pregnant women; parents of babies under six months old; and employees at preschools and childcare centers.
During this phase, free vaccines would also be available to nursing home residents and workers, medical and public health personnel, people working in poultry or livestock farming, and animal quarantine staff.
The second phase is to begin on Nov. 1, when people aged 50 to 64 would also be eligible for a free shot, the CDC said.
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