CORONAVIRUS/New round of COVID-19 booster shot reservations to start Jan. 26

Taipei, Jan. 23 (CNA) More people will be able to reserve appointments for COVID-19 booster shots via the government's 1922 platform from Wednesday, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Sunday.

The platform has been reactivated since mid-January due to the need for booster shots amid rising domestic COVID-19 infections.

Individuals ages 18 and older who received their second COVID-19 vaccination shot a minimum of 12 weeks ago will be able to register from Jan. 26 to 28, the CECC announced during its routine daily press briefing.

As of Saturday, 81.13 percent of Taiwan's 23.37 million population has received one COVID-19 vaccine dose, while 73.54 percent has gotten two shots, CECC data showed. In addition, 0.61 percent has received an additional dose, and 16.25 percent a booster shot.

In response to public concern over the availability of the Moderna vaccine, currently the most popular of the vaccines available in Taiwan, the CECC confirmed that the vaccine will be offered as part of the upcoming round and another batch is scheduled to arrive on Monday.

According to CECC spokesperson Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), vaccinations from this round will be administered from Feb. 7-13.

Those still looking to receive a first or second jab can easily book appointments at health or medical facilities that provide vaccination services, Chuang said.

For information on the closest vaccine-providing facilities, people should contact their local city or county health departments, he added.

Another option is to visit the CECC website where there is a Chinese list of medical facilities providing vaccination services.