TAIWAN TO GET COVID-19 VACCINE THIS MONTH, GOV’T SAYS

Taiwan and other countries that are not United Nations members will be allotted 1.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine in the first round of vaccine distribution by the global vaccine-sharing initiative COVAX, with the earliest delivery date being February, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said.

COVAX, backed by 190 participating countries to ensure equitable worldwide access to COVID-19 vaccines, published its first distribution list Wednesday, with enough doses for dozens of countries to immunize more than 3 percent of their populations by mid-2021, Chang Ming-huan and Evelyn Kao reported for Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA).

Although Taiwan is not on the list as it is not a UN member, it and five to eight non-UN member countries will share 1.3 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca PLC, in the first round of vaccine distribution, CECC spokesman Chuang Jen-hsiang said.

Chuang said that AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine has not been authorized by the World Health Organization (WHO) for emergency use, but is expected to receive approval in late February.

The vaccine will be administered in Taiwan one week after the first shipment arrives, which is expected to be between February and June, he said.

According to WHO data, AZ's vaccines are categorized into two groups: one manufactured in South Korea and the other in India. The delivery to Taiwan will be made from South Korea.

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