The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported seven imported COVID-19 cases, and announced that people aged 50 or older will be eligible to choose the AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines when booking an appointment in the 13th round of vaccinations.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is the CECC spokesman, said no new local infections or deaths were reported.
The seven imported cases are three males and four females, aged between 10 and 40, who arrived from Indonesia, Malaysia, Spain, Vietnam, the UK and the US, between Sept. 3 and Thursday, he said.
Photo courtesy of the Central Epidemic Command Center
CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), deputy chief of the CECC’s medical response division, said all seven cases were fully vaccinated, and six people among them were considered vaccine breakthrough infections.
Three cases received two doses of the Sinovac, Sinopharm or AstraZeneca vaccines, while the other three received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech shot, he said.
Another case received two doses of a vaccine in May, but had tested positive in Indonesia in June, within 14 days of receiving the second dose, and was not counted as a breakthrough infection, Lo said.
Meanwhile, Chuang said that the 13th round of vaccination, starting on Friday next week, is to allow those aged 12 or older to register for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, while that brand and AstraZeneca are options for those aged 50 or above.
Anyone from the latter group who had selected both brands on the online booking system prior to noon on Tuesday last week can choose one of the two brands when finalizing their appointment, Chuang said, adding that they should check which brand is available at the vaccination site.
As the US Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged five to 11, Chuang was asked if Taiwan would do likewise.
The center would need to obtain more information from the vaccine producer in making an assessment, as well as observe other countries’ experiences in terms of safety and efficacy in this age group, he said.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) on Friday said that the CECC is considering reducing quarantine requirements to staying at a quarantine hotel for 10 days and at home for four days.
“We are discussing the policy, but it has not come to a conclusion,” Chuang said.
“Inbound travelers are required to receive a test upon arriving in Taiwan and upon ending quarantine, but the number of mandatory tests might increase if people are allowed to relocate from a hotel to home during the 14-day quarantine,” he added.
The CECC on Friday reported the first case of the SARS-CoV-2 sub-variant called “Delta plus” in an imported case from the UK.
Lo yesterday said that Delta-plus poses a concern because data suggested that it is 10 percent more transmissible than the more common Delta variant.
Another concern is whether Delta-plus is more resistant to vaccines, as it might have a more significant impact on countries that have eased quarantine regulations for vaccinated people, he said, adding that Taiwan does not plan to ease border control measures or quarantine rules at this time, so the sub-variant has no bearing on current policies.
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