Taiwan's free flu, COVID-19 vaccination program begins

Taipei, Oct. 1 (CNA) Taiwan began administering free influenza and COVID-19 vaccines at hospitals and other medical facilities nationwide on Wednesday, but unlike last year, the free COVID-19 shot is no longer available to all individuals, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

As it has done in recent years, Taiwan started the free vaccination program ahead of the annual flu season, which usually begins in November and peaks over the winter before winding down in March.

CNA has compiled the following Q&A to explain how the two-phase program works and who is eligible for the free jabs.

Q: How does the phased rollout of vaccines work?

The vaccination program is being implemented in two phases, and eligible individuals can receive both the influenza and COVID-19 vaccines free of charge.

The first phase, starting Oct. 1, covers seniors aged 65 and over, Indigenous people aged 55 and over, preschool children aged 6 months and over, individuals with high-risk or chronic diseases, pregnant women, parents of infants under 6 months old, employees at child care or long-term care facilities, and health care and disease-control personnel.

When the second-phase rollout of the vaccines begins on Nov. 1, people aged 50 and over without high-risk or chronic conditions will also be eligible for both shots.

In addition, students from elementary through senior high school, as well as those working with livestock or in animal disease control, are eligible for free flu jabs, but not COVID-19 shots, in the first phase, according to the CDC.

About 4,000 clinics and hospitals across Taiwan offer free vaccination services. For locations, eligible individuals can check local health bureau websites, the CDC website, or call the CDC's 1922 hotline.

Q: Any major adjustments compared with last year's program?

Unlike last year, when everyone aged 6 months and older became eligible for a free COVID-19 shot in the second phase, the CDC has tightened eligibility this year, with healthy individuals aged 6-49 no longer covered.

CDC Director-General Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞) said severe cases and deaths from COVID-19 have declined in recent years, and the infectious disease dropped out of Taiwan's top 10 causes of death last year.

He noted that the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as health authorities in Europe, the United Kingdom, Japan and South Korea, have shifted from universal COVID-19 vaccination to targeting high-risk groups.

Based on such trends, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) under the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) resolved to narrow eligibility to high-risk groups this year, Lo said.

Q: If I'm not eligible for a free COVID-19 shot, what are my options?

CDC Spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said the agency has coordinated with 10 contract hospitals in 10 counties and cities to offer self-paid COVID-19 vaccination starting Oct. 1.

Details are available on the CDC website under the COVID-19 vaccination section, she said.

After high-risk groups have been vaccinated for a period, the CDC will reassess supply, shelf life and the outbreak situation, Tseng said, adding that the agency may then extend free COVID-19 shots to everyone, mirroring the flu policy in early 2025.

Q: How do this year's flu and COVID-19 vaccines differ from previous years?

From 2019 to 2024, the CDC procured quadrivalent flu vaccines, which protect against four flu strains or lineages. This year, the program has shifted to a trivalent vaccine.

Lo said the Influenza B/Yamagata lineage has not circulated globally since 2020, so Taiwan followed the WHO's suggestion and procured a trivalent vaccine that does not include a B/Yamagata component this year.

Q: How many vaccines were procured and from whom?

The CDC purchased about 6.86 million influenza vaccine doses from five suppliers -- local firms Adimmune, TTY Biopharm and Medigen, plus GSK Taiwan and France's Sanofi.

For COVID-19 shots, the agency procured about 2.77 million doses of Moderna's LP.8.1 vaccine and will buy 300,000 doses of Novavax's JN.1 vaccine.

Q: Can I get the two vaccines at the same time?

Yes. The CDC said international studies have shown that immune responses and side-effect rates after receiving COVID-19 and flu vaccines together are similar to those after a COVID-19 shot alone.

The CDC also recommends such an approach, promoting the slogan: "Flu shot in the left arm, COVID-19 shot in the right."

Q: What is the current flu and COVID-19 situation in Taiwan?

Taiwan has entered this year's flu season, and influenza-related medical visits have already surpassed the autumn peak recorded two years ago, Lo said.

He noted that the dominant strain has recently shifted from A(H1N1) to A(H3N2), meaning people who previously had flu may not be immune and could be reinfected.

As vaccine protection takes about two weeks to develop, spread of flu is expected to edge up or remain elevated in October, staying relatively high through the month, he added.

For COVID-19, case numbers have trended down since peaking in late May to early June and remain at a relatively low level, according to the CDC.

However, based on past patterns in Taiwan and neighboring countries, where new waves typically emerge four to five months after the previous peak, the CDC expects infections to begin rising again in mid-to-late October.