Adolescents aged 12 to 17 can start receiving the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine from tomorrow, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday, adding that the second phase of inoculations using Moderna’s bivalent vaccine would begin next week.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has recommended that the Novavax vaccine can be administered to adolescents aged 12 to 17 as their primary series of vaccines or as a booster shot. It also allowed a mix-and-match approach.
The Novavax vaccine is a good choice for eligible recipients who are worried about possible adverse reactions from other COVID-19 vaccines, said Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝), who heads the CECC.
Photo: CNA
People aged 12 or older who want to receive the Novavax vaccine as their primary series are advised to receive the same brand of vaccine for both of their doses, and receive them at least four weeks apart, advisory committee convenor and National Taiwan University Hospital pediatrician Lee Ping-ing (李秉穎) said.
People who have received other vaccine brands as their primary series can receive the Novavax vaccine as their booster dose, on condition that they receive it at least 12 weeks after the last dose of the primary series, he said.
Very common adverse reactions of the Novavax vaccine include headache, nausea or vomiting, muscle pain, joint pain, pain at the injection site, fatigue and weakness, which could occur in at least 10 percent of the recipients, Lee said.
Common adverse reactions include redness or swelling at the injection site, fever, chills and body aches, which could occur in less than 10 percent of recipients, he said.
Rare adverse reactions, such as a rash, swollen lymph nodes and hypertension, might not have been caused by the vaccine, but they were still reported, he added.
“Generally speaking, the risk of experiencing post-vaccination adverse reactions [from the Novavax vaccine] is low compared with other COVID-19 vaccines, and most are mild reactions, which do not require hospitalization,” Lee said.
Clinical trials of the vaccine have found that the most common adverse reactions are headache, fatigue and muscle pain, and that only about 6 percent developed a fever after getting the vaccine, which is less than the ratio for mRNA-based or recombinant COVID-19 vaccines, he said.
Wang said the second phase of inoculations using Moderna’s bivalent COVID-19 vaccine, which has been adapted to fight the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, would begin on Monday next week.
Eligible recipients include healthcare workers; airport, harbor and quarantine workers; airline crew members and sailors; care facility and social welfare facility workers; people aged 50 to 64; and people aged 18 or older who are traveling abroad for diplomatic, public affairs or business purposes, he said.
The bivalent vaccine would be offered as a booster shot, he said.
It should be received at least 12 weeks (84 days) later than the previous shot — including the last dose of the primary series or the previous booster shot, he added.
People who want to receive the bivalent vaccine for overseas travel should bring either an invitation from abroad, an approval document from the competent government agency, or an approval document from their employer, along with their National Health Insurance card, COVID-19 vaccination certificate, also known as the “Yellow Card,” and plane tickets when getting vaccinated, the CECC said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS