The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is to be offered in the 10th round of vaccinations, which start on Wednesday, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday, as it reported 10 imported cases and no local infections or deaths.
The center last week said that second doses of the AstraZeneca and Medigen vaccines would be offered in the 10th round of vaccinations, but on Friday evening announced that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine would also be offered as a first dose.
People aged 64 or older (born on or before Dec. 31, 1957); people aged 18 to 63 who are also listed in the ninth priority group; and those aged 18 to 22 (born between Jan. 1, 1999, and Dec. 31, 2003) are eligible to book an appointment to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine if they registered their preference for the brand on the national online COVID-19 vaccination booking system before Wednesday last week, the CECC said.
Photo: CNA
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said that eligible recipients can book an appointment between 10am tomorrow and 4pm on Tuesday, and be vaccinated from Wednesday to Thursday next week.
The CECC reported 10 imported cases of COVID-19 among travelers from nine countries, but no new local infections or deaths.
The imported cases arrived from Indonesia, Japan, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Singapore, Somaliland, Thailand, the UK and Vietnam, the center said.
Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), who is deputy chief of the CECC’s medical response division, said that among the imported cases, five have been vaccinated, while two were fully vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and are considered to be “breakthrough infections.”
Local media on Friday reported that 42 Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) workers used a loophole in a Kaohsiung hospital’s vaccination booking system to receive their second dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, which they were not yet eligible to receive.
The workers had received their first dose as members of the seventh priority group for vaccination — which included workers essential for maintaining key infrastructure — but were not yet eligible for a second dose of the Moderna vaccine, which has so far only been offered to members of the first three priority groups, the reports said.
Chen said that while the workers were not yet eligible for the second dose, the hospital did not want a dispute to affect other vaccine recipients waiting to receive their shots, so it gave in and administered the vaccines.
The center has asked the local health department to look into the matter and enhance hospital management, Chen said.
Causing a nuisance at healthcare facilities and affecting the duties of healthcare personnel contravene the Medical Act (醫療法), meaning that the workers could face punishment.
People who have not yet received their second shot of the Moderna vaccine might be anxious, but “there should be good news very soon,” Chen said, urging people not to “cut in line” to be vaccinated earlier.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
RSS