Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Monday advised local governments to offer incentives valued at up to NT$500 (US$17.6) per shot to encourage seniors to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The incentives will be offered to people aged 65 and above who receive either their first, second, or third COVID-19 vaccine shot from March 10 to April 10, said Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung (???), who heads the CECC.
The cost of the incentives will be borne by the central government, and local governments can decide what forms the incentives take, Chen said.
In Taiwan, 76.5 percent of people aged 75 and above have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot, 69.9 percent have gotten at least two doses, and 50.1 percent have gotten a booster shot, according to CECC data valid as of the end of February.
The first-dose and second-dose vaccination rates of this age group are the lowest of all age groups eligible for the vaccine in Taiwan, followed by those in the 50-64 age group and the 65-74 age group, whose vaccination rates differ only slightly, CECC data shows.
In the 50-64 age group, 86.9 percent have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot, 81.6 percent have gotten at least two doses, and 50.8 percent have gotten a booster shot.
In the 65-74 age group, 87.2 percent have gotten at least one dose, 83.0 percent have gotten at least two doses, and 63.3 percent have gotten a booster.
Seniors are hesitant to get vaccinated due to concerns over the side effects and the fact that the COVID-19 situation in Taiwan has been stable recently, Chen said.
However, based on the difference in death rates and severe symptoms caused by COVID-19 between those vaccinated and unvaccinated, “the pros of getting vaccinated definitely outweigh the cons,” he said.
In Hong Kong, data from Jan. 1 to March 5 show that there was a difference of up to 17 times in the death rate of people aged 60-69 who contracted COVID-19 based on their vaccination status, Hung Tzu-jen (???), deputy superintendent at Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, said at the CECC press briefing.
The death rate of those who received two doses of the vaccine was 0.04 percent, much lower than the 0.71 percent death rate for those who had not been vaccinated or had received only one dose, Hung said.
The difference in death rate between those who have gotten two doses and those who have not was 9.5 times in the 70-79 age group, and 6.5 times in those 80 years old and above, Hung said.
One of the reasons why the recent wave of COVID-19 infections in Hong Kong has been so serious is because many seniors were unvaccinated, placing a heavy burden on the region’s healthcare system, Hung said, and he urged people in Taiwan to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
To date, 82.96 percent of Taiwan’s population of 23.35 million have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot, while 77.17 percent have gotten two doses.
Since the introduction of a third dose in late December, 44.40 percent of the population have received a booster dose, and 0.82 percent have been given an additional dose, which are third shots given to immunocompromised people who may not develop the same immune response level after vaccination as others.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel