The vaccines are offloaded from an EVA Airways plane. CNA photo May 19, 2021
Taipei, May 19 (CNA) Taiwan took delivery of 400,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Wednesday, which may be available to the public in a week amid an escalation of domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
The vaccines, shipped from Amsterdam, arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 3:34 p.m.
CECC commander and Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said the vaccines were the second batch Taiwan has received from the global vaccine sharing program COVAX.
The vaccines, which will expire on Aug. 31, could complete safety testing and begin to be distributed by as early as May 26, he said, adding that some of them will be reserved for at-risk personnel such as medical workers.
CNA file photo
Taipei, May 19 (CNA) A shipment of 400,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses made by the British-Swedish company AstraZeneca is slated to arrive in Taiwan around 4 p.m. Wednesday, according to Cabinet Spokesman Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成).
Lo said the flight carrying the 400,000 AstraZeneca doses that Taiwan has purchased through COVAX, the global initiative to ensure rapid and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for all countries, departed from Amsterdam at 3 a.m. Wednesday.
Lo s statement was based on a briefing by Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), given to Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) earlier Wednesday.
To date, Taiwan has received 117,000 vaccine doses purchased directly from AstraZeneca, with an expiration date of June 15, and 199,200 of the same brand supplied through COVAX, which are due to expire on May 31.
Taiwan, Once an Icon for COVID Control, Grapples Now with First Serious Outbreak
19 May 2021
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Taiwan, which captured world attention last year for going more than 200 consecutive days without a local COVID-19 case, is shutting things down for the first time to contain its worst coronavirus outbreak since the global pandemic began.
The government’s Central Epidemic Command Center announced more than 1,200 cases from Friday through Wednesday including a record single-day count of 333 cases. Command center officials say infected cargo pilots introduced COVID-19 in mid-April followed by spread among “hostess bars” in a densely populated quarter of Taipei. More than 150 of the 260 cases reported Tuesday were linked to that district. Taipei’s mayor has targeted migrant workers, often helps staff the bars, for virus testing.
2021/05/17 15:20 (Pexels photo) (Pexels photo) TAIPEI (Taiwan News) Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) will introduce new border restrictions as of Wednesday (May 19). The CECC announced on Monday that due to the recent surge of COVID-19 cases, the entry of foreigners without effective residency permits will be temporarily banned. Additionally, the CECC said transfer flights will also be suspended. However, unspecified humanitarian and emergency exceptions will be made. The measures will be active for a month, running from May 19 to June 18.