200,000 doses of Novavax JN. 1 COVID-19 vaccine available from Jan. 1

Taipei, Dec. 27 (CNA) The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Friday announced that it will make 200,000 doses of protein-based vaccine targeting the JN. 1 subvariant of COVID-19 available to the general public from Jan. 1.

In a news release, the CDC said it had purchased 200,000 doses of Novavax JN.1 vaccine.

The CDC said the protein-based vaccine provided an alternative for those who previously had an adverse reaction to more common mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.

The Novavax JN. 1 jabs will be made available to those aged 12 and above from Jan. 1 next year, according to CDC Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-huai (曾淑慧)

Meanwhile, 1.7 million out of the 5.5 million doses of Moderna's mRNA-based JN.1 COVID-19 vaccine procured by the CDC have already been administered, CDC statistics showed.

As Taiwan is well-stocked with mRNA vaccines, Tseng said that unvaccinated individuals, particularly those over 65 with chronic illnesses, should get a shot as soon as possible to lower the chances of developing terminal symptoms due to COVID-19.

People should also be aware that it takes two weeks for a vaccine to begin providing protection against COVID-19, Tseng added.