The latest batch of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to arrive in Taiwan will be made available to doctors and other priority workers on Friday. That’s according to Deputy Interior Minister Chen Tsung-yen, who also serves as the deputy head of Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center.
The shipment of vaccine doses arrived on May 19, and has been undergoing safety inspections. Chen says that these inspections will be finished on Wednesday, and that vaccine doses will be distributed nationwide on Thursday.
Medical staff will be given top priority for vaccination, followed by those on the frontlines working to stop the spread of COVID-19.
On Wednesday, reporters asked Chen whether police at risk of exposure to COVID-19 should be given higher priority for vaccination. Chen said that the government has already designated 39,000 police officers working on the frontlines of the pandemic as a priority group for vaccination, alongside other frontline personnel.