Taiwan to expand COVID-19 vaccine program to cover all residents

Taipei, Dec. 12 (CNA) Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Friday it will expand the government-funded COVID-19 vaccination program from Jan. 1 to Feb. 28 next year to cover all residents aged 6 months and older.

With the year-end holidays and the Lunar New Year travel period approaching and set to bring an increased movement of people, another wave of infections could emerge around May next year, based on past trends, CDC spokesperson Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said.

The decision to expand the COVID-19 vaccination program was made following consultations with experts from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on Dec. 9, the CDC said, with the goal of boosting immunity and reducing the risk of severe illness and death.

Currently, free COVID-19 shots are offered only to 10 high-risk groups, including people aged 50 and older, children aged 6 months to under 6 years, health care workers, pregnant women, and people aged 6 months or older with chronic health conditions or diseases.

The expanded program at the start of next year will cover all Taiwan residents, including foreign nationals with alien resident certificates and alien permanent resident certificates.

Based on CDC statistics, more people have received COVID-19 shots so far this year than in the same period in 2024. Among them, doses administered to those aged 65 and older were up 30.7 percent, while those for people aged 50-64 rose 18.3 percent.

Taiwan currently administers Moderna's LP.8.1 and Novavax's JN.1 vaccines, both shown to be safe and effective against the COVID-19 NB.1.8.1 and XFG variants, the CDC said.

People aged 12 and older can choose either vaccine brand, while children aged 6 months to 11 years are eligible only for the Moderna LP.8.1 vaccine.

The agency warned that the risk of severe illness from COVID-19 remains higher than influenza, and urged people to get vaccinated early to ensure adequate protection before the Lunar New Year holidays.