Health Minister Chen Shih-chung says the government will do its best to keep the winter flu epidemic at bay. His comments came Monday during an interview.
Chen says the winter flu season, along with a possible second wave of COVID-19 infections, could put more pressure on Taiwan’s health care system later this year.
But Chen says that Taiwan has herd immunity, given that the rate of flu vaccination over the past two years was 27%. He also says the government will provide flu medication to the public free of charge, and in large amounts.
Chen says that while Taiwan is lagging behind the international community in developing a COVID-19 vaccine, a locally-produced vaccine should be available in the second quarter of next year.
The health minister also spoke about a plan to raise national health insurance premiums. That’s in light of an impending imbalance between costs and expenditures, starting next year. Chen says the public should see their insurance premiums as an investment in health, not an additional cost.