Athletes who have qualified to compete in the Tokyo Olympics yesterday started receiving their first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said.
The nation started its vaccination program on Monday, with frontline healthcare workers at designated hospitals receiving the first jabs.
Tokyo Olympics qualifiers have also been given first priority for vaccination, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General and CECC spokesman Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The Tokyo Olympics are scheduled to open on July 23.
The CECC hopes that athletes and national team staff members can complete the two doses before heading to the competition, he said.
As of noon yesterday, a total of 1,578 people had received the vaccine, Chuang said, adding that the number was relatively low on the first day because it is a new vaccine in Taiwan, and hospitals need some time to test their standard procedures.
Healthcare workers took turns getting the jab to avoid a staff shortage in case some were to experience side effects, such as a fever, after being inoculated, he said.
One non-severe adverse reaction was reported — a healthcare worker in northern Taiwan who developed a fever and felt tired after being vaccinated, he said.
The legal definition of a severe adverse event includes situations such as death, life-threatening conditions, permanent disability, congenital anomaly, hospitalization or prolonged hospitalization, and other conditions that might result in permanent injuries, CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said.
A non-severe adverse event is defined as having the common side effects of vaccination, such as a fever, swelling or pain at the injection site, tiredness and a headache, he said.
People should not worry about developing a fever after vaccination, as it is likely the result of the immune system being activated, he said.
The CECC reported one imported case of COVID-19 yesterday — a Dutch man in his 20s.
The man arrived from the Netherlands on Feb. 8, and tested negative in a paid test on Feb. 23, but another test taken on Sunday came back positive, Chuang said.
The man’s test result implied a low viral load, with the latest test on Monday coming back negative, Chuang said.
His antibody test came back negative for immunoglobulin M antibodies and positive for immunoglobulin G antibodies — implying a past infection, Chuang said.
The man might have contracted the disease abroad some time ago and has a lower risk of infecting others, the CECC said.
In other news, the CDC reported the first imported case of Chikungunya fever this year — an Indonesian man in his 20s who on Tuesday last week arrived in Taiwan for work.
The man was tested for dengue fever at the airport as he had a fever when he arrived, and was later tested for COVID-19 and Chikungunya fever at a hospital, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said.
The man has been hospitalized for treatment, Guo said, adding that two people who arrived in Taiwan with him have not developed any symptoms.
Additional reporting by Wu Po-hsuan
AIR DEFENSE: The Norwegian missile system has proved highly effective in Ukraine in its war against Russia, and the US has recommended it for Taiwan, an expert said The Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) Taiwan ordered from the US would be installed in strategically important positions in Taipei and New Taipei City to guard the region, the Ministry of National Defense said in statement yesterday. The air defense system would be deployed in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山) and New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水), the ministry said, adding that the systems could be delivered as soon as the end of this year. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency has previously said that three NASAMS would be sold to Taiwan. The weapons are part of the 17th US arms sale to
SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS: The suspects formed spy networks and paramilitary groups to kill government officials during a possible Chinese invasion, prosecutors said Prosecutors have indicted seven retired military officers, members of the Rehabilitation Alliance Party, for allegedly obtaining funds from China, and forming paramilitary groups and assassination squads in Taiwan to collaborate with Chinese troops in a possible war. The suspects contravened the National Security Act (國家安全法) by taking photos and drawing maps of key radar stations, missile installations and the American Institute in Taiwan’s headquarters in Taipei, prosecutors said. They allegedly prepared to collaborate with China during a possible invasion of Taiwan, prosecutors said. Retired military officer Chu Hung-i (屈宏義), 62, a Republic of China Army Academy graduate, went to China
INSURRECTION: The NSB said it found evidence the CCP was seeking snipers in Taiwan to target members of the military and foreign organizations in the event of an invasion The number of Chinese spies prosecuted in Taiwan has grown threefold over a four-year period, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said in a report released yesterday. In 2021 and 2022, 16 and 10 spies were prosecuted respectively, but that number grew to 64 last year, it said, adding that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was working with gangs in Taiwan to develop a network of armed spies. Spies in Taiwan have on behalf of the CCP used a variety of channels and methods to infiltrate all sectors of the country, and recruited Taiwanese to cooperate in developing organizations and obtaining sensitive information
BREAKTHROUGH: The US is making chips on par in yield and quality with Taiwan, despite people saying that it could not happen, the official said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) has begun producing advanced 4-nanometer (nm) chips for US customers in Arizona, US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said, a milestone in the semiconductor efforts of the administration of US President Joe Biden. In November last year, the commerce department finalized a US$6.6 billion grant to TSMC’s US unit for semiconductor production in Phoenix, Arizona. “For the first time ever in our country’s history, we are making leading edge 4-nanometer chips on American soil, American workers — on par in yield and quality with Taiwan,” Raimondo said, adding that production had begun in recent
RSS