Taipei: Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Saturday extended its publicly funded COVID-19 vaccination program through September 28, citing a new wave of infections and persistently low vaccination rates among high-risk groups.

According to Focus Taiwan, the program, initially set to conclude on July 31, permits individuals aged 6 months and older who have not yet received this season's COVID-19 vaccine to get vaccinated at no cost. The CDC revealed this extension as Taiwan entered a new COVID-19 epidemic phase, witnessing a 66.5 percent increase in outpatient and emergency room visits during the week of July 12-18 compared to the prior week. CDC spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui highlighted that over 90 percent of severe COVID-19 cases this season were among those who hadn't received this season's vaccine, particularly affecting adults aged 65 or older and individuals with chronic illnesses.

As of July 24, approximately 1.74 million COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered. Among the elderly population aged 65 and above, 21 percent had received a first dose, while only 0.56 percent had received a second dose. The agency confirmed that around 443,000 vaccine doses remain available, including Moderna mRNA vaccines and Novavax protein-based vaccines.

The CDC noted that the remaining Novavax vaccines are set to expire on July 31 and will be discarded thereafter. The next shipment of COVID-19 vaccines is anticipated to arrive in October.