Free flu vaccination program to start Oct. 1 in Taiwan

Taipei, Sept. 9 (CNA) A new flu vaccine will be available for free to certain residents in Taiwan, starting Oct. 1, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Tuesday.

At a press briefing Tuesday, CDC spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said the new trivalent flu vaccines were introduced following World Health Organization guidance to replace the quadrivalent version, removing the B/Yamagata strain, which has not caused outbreaks since March 2020.

Elementary, high school, and first to third grade junior college students can receive their shots at school, once their parents have signed the online consent forms, Tseng said.

For the new program, the government purchased over 6.86 million doses of flu vaccine from five manufacturers, with Taiwan's Adimmune Corp. supplying 47.5 percent, CDC data shows.

As in recent years, Taiwan will launch its free vaccination program ahead of the annual flu season, which usually begins in November, peaks over winter, and winds down in March.

The program will be carried out in two phases. In the first phase, eligible groups include minors from 6 months old through senior high school; seniors aged 65 and over; medical workers; individuals with high-risk, chronic, rare, or serious diseases or severe injuries; pregnant women; parents of babies under 6 months old; and employees at preschools and childcare centers.

During this phase, free vaccines will also be available to nursing home residents and workers, medical and public health personnel, people working in poultry or livestock farming, and animal quarantine staff.

The second phase will begin on Nov. 1, when people aged 50-64 will also be eligible for a free shot, according to the CDC.