Health Minister Chen Shih-chung is urging the public not to be dissuaded from getting the Astra-Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Taiwan got its first shipment of the vaccine last week, and vaccinations are expected to begin shortly.
However, rumors have reached Taiwan that ten European countries have stopped administering the AstraZeneca vaccine after some vaccinated people developed blood clots. On Friday, Chen said that the EU has said there is no proof of a direct link between the vaccine and the blood clots. He also offered to be vaccinated first himself in order to quiet concerns.