The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced Friday that COVID-19 booster shots are now available to anyone who received their second vaccine dose at least five months ago.
The announcement comes after the CECC began offering booster shots to certain groups of people last week, including medical workers, epidemic prevention workers in central and local government, those at higher risk of COVID-19 exposure, and individuals who need to travel abroad for official reasons.
As part of its efforts to minimize the risk of a community spread following Taiwan’s first confirmed domestic COVID-19 case in over a month Thursday, booster shots will now be made available to the general public, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (???) said at a press briefing.
Only the Moderna vaccine will be offered at this stage of the rollout, and it will be offered at half-dose, said Chen, who also heads the CECC.
Those eligible to receive a booster shot do not have to go through the government’s 1922 vaccine platform and can make appointments directly with hospitals offering the vaccine.
According to the CECC, booster shots can help bolster protection and are recommended to maintain immunity against COVID-19.
To date, 78.55 percent of Taiwan’s population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 63.25 percent have been fully vaccinated with two doses.
Meanwhile, 22,688 people have received a booster shot as of Thursday, according to the CECC.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel