CORONAVIRUS/Moderna vaccination site opens at Taipei Main Station; NT$100 vouchers being offered

Taipei, Dec. 5 (CNA) The government has set up a COVID-19 vaccination site at the bustling Taipei Main Station, for delivery of Moderna shots, in a bid to speed up its vaccination efforts, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Sunday.

At the site on the west side of the lobby, no appointments are necessary, and the service is available to citizens and foreign nationals, Dec. 5-9, from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily, the CECC said.

People who receive their COVID-19 jabs at the Taipei Main Station site will be given a NT$100 (US$3.61) voucher for use at any PX Mart supermarket, the CECC said.

The Moderna vaccine is available to people aged 18 and over, who had registered their preference for that brand, including those who got their first Moderna shot more than four weeks ago or their first dose of AstraZeneca at least eight weeks before, the CECC said.

The required documents are the vaccination card, for those getting their second shots, and the National Health Insurance (NHI) card, the CECC said. Foreign nationals who do not have an NHI card can present their residence permit and passport, it added.

The vaccination site at the busy Taipei Main Station was set up as part of Taiwan's efforts to expedite its COVID-19 vaccine program, the CECC said.

In addition, hospitals affiliated with Taiwan's Armed Forces, Ministry of Health and Welfare, and Veterans Affairs Council have now opened nighttime vaccination appointment slots on weekdays, the CECC said, adding that appointments can be booked either on the government's "1922" vaccine website or directly at the hospitals.

To date, 60.33 percent of Taiwan's 23.41 million population has been fully vaccinated, having received two shots of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 78.15 percent has received at least one dose, according to government data. Some 1,706 people have also had a third booster shot, the data shows.