The annual government-funded influenza vaccination program was launched on Monday, offering people aged 65 or older and high-risk groups a quadrivalent flu vaccine before anyone else. This year there are four brands of vaccines, but some politicians are again using misinformation to stir fear among the public, causing some who need the vaccine the most to put it off or refuse to get vaccinated.
The four vaccines in the program are an egg-based vaccine by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi, an egg-based vaccine by Taiwan-based Adimmune Corp, a cell-cultured vaccine manufactured in Germany by Taiwan-based TTY Biopharm Co Ltd, and — new to the program — an egg-based vaccine using ingredients from South Korea and filled by Taiwan-based Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp.
As soon as the program was launched, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislative caucus held a news conference framing the inclusion of the Medigen flu vaccine as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government favoring the company, while calling for the right to choose vaccine brands, as if people are being forced to get the Medigen vaccine.
Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) and the Centers for Disease Control on Tuesday said that the four vaccines had all passed the Food and Drug Administration’s strict standard reviews and obtained licenses, that they have similar efficacy and adverse reaction incidence rates, and while they are distributed randomly based on shipment arrival times, people can still choose to go to a different vaccination site if they want another brand. Afterward, local KMT council caucuses and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) legislative caucus continued to say that many eligible recipients were concerned and refusing to get the Medigen flu vaccine, further stirring fear.
During the COVID-19 pandemic and local elections last year, KMT and TPP politicians attacked the government’s vaccination policy, especially focusing on the Medigen COVID-19 vaccine, with some even saying that the government was killing people for profit. They were focused on undermining the public’s trust in the DPP, which paid off in the elections.
The WHO on Aug. 29 gave a boost to the Medigen COVID-19 vaccine’s reputation when it announced that the Medicines Patent Pool had signed a technology transfer agreement with Medigen, allowing its COVID-19 vaccine to be used around the world. It was the first time that the WHO had endorsed a Taiwan-made vaccine. However, none of the politicians who criticized the DPP’s policy have apologized. They are reproducing the disinformation model used last year to stir doubt among people who need the vaccines, clouding their judgement by casting suspicion on the Medigen flu vaccine and blowing a few people’s concerns out of proportion.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安), who concentrated a large portion of his election campaign last year on criticizing the government’s COVID-19 vaccine policy, even went so far as to announce on Friday that the city would ensure that the Medigen flu vaccine is not administered at schools and would procure other vaccine brands that are expected to arrive next month.
While some eligible recipients and parents of schoolchildren are concerned after seeing news about people refusing the Medigen flu vaccine, they are not fully informed about the vaccine. The Medigen flu vaccine is South Korean firm GC Biopharma’s GC Flu Quadrivalent vaccine, and is filled by Medigen in Taiwan under an exclusive distribution agreement. In 2017, all vials of the GC Flu Quadrivalent vaccine passed WHO prequalification. GC Biopharma has also supplied flu vaccines to 63 nations through the Pan American Health Organization and the UN Children’s Fund.
People must be made aware that unsubstantiated rumors and political attacks that subvert the legitimacy of scientific evidence are not in their interest, and rejecting or delaying vaccination exposes them to health risks.
To The Honorable Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜): We would like to extend our sincerest regards to you for representing Taiwan at the inauguration of US President Donald Trump on Monday. The Taiwanese-American community was delighted to see that Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan speaker not only received an invitation to attend the event, but successfully made the trip to the US. We sincerely hope that you took this rare opportunity to share Taiwan’s achievements in freedom, democracy and economic development with delegations from other countries. In recent years, Taiwan’s economic growth and world-leading technology industry have been a source of pride for Taiwanese-Americans.
Next week, the nation is to celebrate the Lunar New Year break. Unfortunately, cold winds are a-blowing, literally and figuratively. The Central Weather Administration has warned of an approaching cold air mass, while obstinate winds of chaos eddy around the Legislative Yuan. English theologian Thomas Fuller optimistically pointed out in 1650 that “it’s always darkest before the dawn.” We could paraphrase by saying the coldest days are just before the renewed hope of spring. However, one must temper any optimism about the damage being done in the legislature by the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), under
To our readers: Due to the Lunar New Year holiday, from Sunday, Jan. 26, through Sunday, Feb. 2, the Taipei Times will have a reduced format without our regular editorials and opinion pieces. From Tuesday to Saturday the paper will not be delivered to subscribers, but will be available for purchase at convenience stores. Subscribers will receive the editions they missed once normal distribution resumes on Sunday, Feb. 2. The paper returns to its usual format on Monday, Feb. 3, when our regular editorials and opinion pieces will also be resumed.
This year would mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the India Taipei Association (ITA) in Taipei and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC) in New Delhi. From the vision of “Look East” in the 1990s, India’s policy has evolved into a resolute “Act East,” which complements Taiwan’s “New Southbound Policy.” In these three decades, India and Taiwan have forged a rare partnership — one rooted in shared democratic values, a commitment to openness and pluralism, and clear complementarities in trade and technology. The government of India has rolled out the red carpet for Taiwanese investors with attractive financial incentives
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