Seasonal COVID-19 vaccines free for high-risk groups starting Oct. 1

Taipei, June 27 (CNA) Starting Oct. 1, 10 groups, including pregnant women, elderly citizens and healthcare workers, will be eligible for free COVID-19 vaccinations, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Friday.

The CDC noted that its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) determined earlier this month target recipients for the fall and winter vaccination program in line with the global trend that prioritizes high-risk populations over universal vaccination.

Eligible groups include people aged 65 and older, Indigenous people aged 55-64, residents and staff at nursing homes and long-term care facilities, pregnant women, healthcare and disease prevention workers, childcare staff, and home-based caregivers and nannies.

Also included are parents of infants under 6 months old, children aged 6 months to under 6 years old, and high-risk individuals aged 6 months and older -- such as those eligible for flu vaccine priority, and people with tuberculosis, disabilities, mental health conditions, or dementia.

Adults aged 50-64 without high-risk conditions will be eligible for free vaccination in Phase 2, which begins on Nov. 1, according to the CDC.

At the ACIP's meeting on June 12, the experts also recommended the LP.8.1-targeted vaccine as the primary option, based on guidance from the World Health Organization, the U.S and the EU, the CDC said.

Although COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1 remains dominant domestically, the variant LP.8.1 is showing an increasing trend, it said.

Following the ACIP's recommendation, the CDC has plans to purchase 3.07 million vaccine doses ahead of the seasonal vaccination program rollout, including 2.77 million doses of Moderna's LP.8.1-targeted vaccine and 300,000 doses of Novavax's JN.1-targeted vaccine for individuals who cannot receive mRNA vaccines, the release said.

The Moderna JN.1 vaccine currently in use will continue to be available to everyone aged 6 months and older until Sept. 30, it said.