As the government-funded influenza vaccination program was launched yesterday, Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) said that all four brands of flu vaccines meet effective standards, so eligible recipients do not need to choose a certain brand, but are advised to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
The first phase of the free vaccination program was launched yesterday, allowing elderly people and people with a higher risk of exposure or higher risk of developing severe illness after infection to get vaccinated first.
The minister, along with Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝), 84-year-old actress Chen Shu-fang (陳淑芳) and a mother and her two young children, were invited to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Taipei yesterday morning to demonstrate receiving a flu shot to encourage eligible recipients to get vaccinated.
Photo: CNA
Hsueh said about 6.98 million doses of quadrivalent influenza vaccines are provided for the government vaccination program this flu season, accounting for 29.6 percent of the nation’s total population.
Most people practiced good disease prevention habits during the pandemic, but as restrictions have been lifted, many viruses are spreading, causing the flu season to be extended for a longer period into this year, he said, adding that hopefully as flu vaccination begins, the number of cases should decline.
Wang, who is getting vaccinated as a healthcare worker, said he is receiving Moderna’s XBB.1.5-adapted COVID-19 vaccine and the flu vaccine at the same time, and that elderly people aged 65 or older can get the two vaccines along with a pneumococcal vaccine, to reduce the risk of severe complications.
Chen said getting vaccinated can protect herself and her family, giving her better immunity when performing or engaging in charity work, and that, especially elderly people who are at higher risk of developing a severe illness from infection should not let their guard down in the post-COVID-19 era.
As four brands of flu vaccines — Sanofi, TTY Biopharm Co Ltd (台灣東洋藥品), Adimmune Corp (國光生技) and Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp (高端疫苗) — are administered in the government-funded program, Hsueh said all four types are inactivated quadrivalent influenza vaccines that meet standard requirements for safety and efficacy, and have all passed strict testing.
The vaccines are to be offered according to the vaccine makers’ delivery schedule, with the first batches that arrive being the first distributed and administered, he said, adding that people do not have to choose certain brands, but should get vaccinated as soon as possible to have protection faster.
The minister said that if parents insist on choosing brands and refuse the brand that is provided at school, they can wait to receive a vaccination rescheduling notice and bring their child to a contracted clinic for vaccination, but they should also consider that postponing vaccination might also increase the risk of infection.
The CDC said getting vaccinated is the most effective method of preventing flu, as a flu shot can provide 30 to 80 percent protection against infection and reduce the risk of intensive care unit admission by up to 82 percent. It added that there are about 4,000 contracted healthcare facilities that provide the flu shot this year, which can be found at the centers’ Web site https://antiflu.cdc.gov.tw.
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