It’s the moment Taiwan has been waiting for: the beginning of vaccinations for COVID-19, and the hope that this might be the first step back to a more normal-looking world. Healthcare workers were the first ones to get the jab.
Every country’s vaccine roll-out has to start somewhere. For Taiwan, it’s here, with Shuang-ho Hospital Director Wu Mai-szu. He says he didn’t feel a thing. Getting a vaccine is something everyone, young and old has to do.
Although he looks calm, Wu’s blood pressure hit 175 before the vaccination, meaning he needed to wait for it to drop to normal levels.
Reporters asked one nurse who got the vaccine whether he is worried about side effects. He says he is. All the major COVID-19 vaccines have side effects. But since he sometimes cares for infected patients, he wants to guarantee his own safety.
57 hospitals around Taiwan started vaccination on Monday. According to guidelines, all recipients need to rest for half an hour after inoculation. Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Director Cheng Wen-chun says that’s to make sure recipients don’t have any adverse reactions.
Of course, staff are all free to choose whether or not to get vaccinated. But for most frontline workers, it’s an easy choice to get the vaccine, and get back to work with a bit of peace of mind.