A foreign ministry official says that media reports claiming that Taiwan is “transferring” doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Paraguay are groundless.
The reports say that Taiwan is giving two million doses of the vaccine to the South American nation, and that the doses will be transferred in two weeks’ time.
On Wednesday, foreign ministry official Alexander Yui said that the reports are inaccurate. Yui said Taiwan is simply offering Paraguay assistance in purchasing vaccines directly from manufacturers, adding that Paraguay is also seeking help from the United States, South Korea, Japan, and Russia.
The foreign ministry says that Paraguay is likely the South American county that will receive the fewest doses of COVID-19 vaccines. It also says that Paraguay is working to purchase vaccines manufactured by other countries, including China. That’s because the international vaccine initiative COVAX has yet to confirm when it will transport the 300,000 vaccine doses it promised to Paraguay.