Taipei yesterday started offering a third dose of COVID-19 vaccines to people in the top three priority groups for vaccination through arranged sessions, as well as to other eligible recipients at 18 hospitals in the city, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday.
The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Thursday last week said that, in response to the global threat of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, people who have been fully vaccinated for more than five months are eligible to receive an additional booster shot, effective immediately.
The center added that most of those who have been fully vaccinated for five months are people in the top three priority groups for vaccination, including healthcare workers, non-healthcare workers at healthcare facilities, government disease prevention personnel and frontline workers who are at a higher risk of infection.
Photo: CNA
Ko said that with the Omicron variant spreading, South Korea, which has a full vaccination coverage of more than 80 percent, still reported more than 4,000 new infections yesterday, so Taiwan needs to be vigilant, as the nation’s full vaccination rate is only about 60 percent.
As of Saturday, the first-dose vaccination rate among Taipei residents was 74.8 percent and the full vaccination rate was 60.2 percent, he said.
Some people have yet to be vaccinated, he said, urging them to get vaccinated while the local COVID-19 situation is relatively safe.
People who have not received their second dose have three options to get vaccinated: booking an appointment through the national online vaccination booking system, directly booking an appointment with one of the 15 designated healthcare facilities in the city, or registering on-site at one of the 14 designated hospitals in the city, he said.
The city’s healthcare facilities are responsible for ensuring that their employees receive a booster shot, he added.
As for people in the second and third priority groups, the Taipei Department of Health would ask the establishments to submit a list of eligible recipients and arrange special sessions for them to receive a booster shot, Ko said.
People who are not able to make it to the arranged sessions can get their jab afterward at one designated hospital per administration district, he added.
Taipei Deputy Mayor Tsai Ping-kun (蔡炳坤) said people who are planning to travel abroad and other eligible recipients for the booster shot can also book an appointment with one of 18 designated hospitals in the city.
With a batch of Moderna vaccines due to expire on Thursday, from yesterday to Thursday, the city government is offering NT$100 gift certificates to encourage people to get their shot — be it their first, second or third dose, Ko said.
There are still about 375,000 Taipei residents who have yet to be vaccinated, Tsai said, urging them to do so as soon as possible.
As for the CECC’s mandatory full vaccination order for workers at 24 types of establishments supervised by the education, economics, labor, and health and welfare ministries, Ko said the city government would strictly enforce the order, and workers who are unwilling to get vaccinated must undergo a COVID-19 test every week.
A Chinese freighter that allegedly snapped an undersea cable linking Taiwan proper to Penghu County is suspected of being owned by a Chinese state-run company and had docked at the ports of Kaohsiung and Keelung for three months using different names. On Tuesday last week, the Togo-flagged freighter Hong Tai 58 (宏泰58號) and its Chinese crew were detained after the Taipei-Penghu No. 3 submarine cable was severed. When the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) first attempted to detain the ship on grounds of possible sabotage, its crew said the ship’s name was Hong Tai 168, although the Automatic Identification System (AIS)
An Akizuki-class destroyer last month made the first-ever solo transit of a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship through the Taiwan Strait, Japanese government officials with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. The JS Akizuki carried out a north-to-south transit through the Taiwan Strait on Feb. 5 as it sailed to the South China Sea to participate in a joint exercise with US, Australian and Philippine forces that day. The Japanese destroyer JS Sazanami in September last year made the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s first-ever transit through the Taiwan Strait, but it was joined by vessels from New Zealand and Australia,
SECURITY: The purpose for giving Hong Kong and Macau residents more lenient paths to permanent residency no longer applies due to China’s policies, a source said The government is considering removing an optional path to citizenship for residents from Hong Kong and Macau, and lengthening the terms for permanent residence eligibility, a source said yesterday. In a bid to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from infiltrating Taiwan through immigration from Hong Kong and Macau, the government could amend immigration laws for residents of the territories who currently receive preferential treatment, an official familiar with the matter speaking on condition of anonymity said. The move was part of “national security-related legislative reform,” they added. Under the amendments, arrivals from the Chinese territories would have to reside in Taiwan for
CRITICAL MOVE: TSMC’s plan to invest another US$100 billion in US chipmaking would boost Taiwan’s competitive edge in the global market, the premier said The government would ensure that the most advanced chipmaking technology stays in Taiwan while assisting Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in investing overseas, the Presidential Office said yesterday. The statement follows a joint announcement by the world’s largest contract chipmaker and US President Donald Trump on Monday that TSMC would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next four years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US, which would include construction of three new chip fabrication plants, two advanced packaging facilities, and a research and development center. The government knew about the deal in advance and would assist, Presidential
RSS