Amid concerns over stalled progress on Taiwan’s planned purchase of Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT) COVID-19 vaccines which would include child versions, a health official said Wednesday a deal was expected to be signed “this week,” though he did not elaborate on the details.
Taiwan “should be able to sign a deal this week,” said Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (???) at a meeting of the Legislature’s Culture and Education Committee, though he did not comment on how many of the vaccines would be the version for children, and when they were expected to arrive.
The meeting was held to discuss preparations for the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines for children aged 6-11 on May 2. The only vaccine available for children in Taiwan currently is Moderna.
“How many of the 1.5 million doses are for children?” opposition Kuomintang legislator Lin Yi-Hua (???) asked Hsueh at the meeting, referring to the Pfizer-BioNTech doses that Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung (???) has said Taiwan will receive. “Many parents of schoolchildren are looking forward to the BNT vaccines and are asking about the procurement progress.”
Chen had said April 18 that Taiwan would receive about 1.5 million Pfizer-BioNTech doses in May, including special doses for children aged 5-11, if the negotiations on that deal went smoothly.
Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized on April 17 the use of the Moderna vaccine for children aged 6-11, but the decision has sparked concerns from parents that it might not be safe for children.
Asked about the low willingness of parents to have their children get vaccinated, Hsueh said the ministry would try its best to provide sufficient information to parents so that they would not base their decision “on emotions.”
A survey released by the Taipei City government on Tuesday showed that only 48.5 percent of parents are willing to have their children receive a vaccine, according to Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chang Liao Wan-chien (????) at the meeting.
Education Minister Pan Wen-chung (???) told the committee that his ministry would work with schools to help parents understand the risks and benefits of vaccinations.
Schools will be asked to issue vaccination instructions and parental consent forms to parents as soon as possible, at least seven days prior to the administration of vaccines, Pan said.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel