The 249,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine Taiwan received last Sunday will be administered to those who have already obtained their first shot and need a second jab to be fully vaccinated, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Monday.
Since the latest shipment is still limited, the Moderna vaccine will be provided to people who previously received a first shot of the same brand, CECC spokesperson Chuang Jen-hsiang (???) said after Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) completed the vaccine inspection.
Medical workers who obtained their first AstraZeneca jab more than 10 weeks ago can also opt to receive the Moderna vaccine as their second dose, as part of the country’s mix-and-max vaccine approach, he added.
However, Chuang did not say when the Moderna vaccinations will begin.
Since taking its first delivery of the Moderna vaccine in May, Taiwan has received nearly four million doses of the vaccine manufactured by the American pharmaceutical company, according to CECC data.
Since then, the vaccine has been administered to medical workers, people involved in the government’s COVID-19 response efforts, employees in jobs at high risk of COVID-19 and pregnant women.
The vaccine was later also given to seniors 65 years of age and over and people aged 53-64 who are listed as at-risk groups for health reasons.
Meanwhile, the FDA also completed inspection of roughly 257,800 doses of the vaccine produced by Taiwan-based Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp. on Monday, the agency said.
The vaccine will be administered in the first round of Medigen vaccinations, which kicked off Monday and will last through Aug. 29.
As of Monday noon, approximately 599,600 people who are 20 years of age and over had reserved a slot to receive their first Medigen vaccine dose, CECC data showed.
From 10 a.m. Monday until 6 p.m. Tuesday, the government’s online appointment system will reopen for eligible people who have expressed a willingness to make an appointment to receive the Medigen vaccine.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel