Taiwan’s representative to the US, Hsiao Bi-khim, says the government will keep working to get US COVID-19 vaccines through various channels.
Hsiao’s comments came Thursday, a day after American Institute in Taiwan director Brent Christensen said that the number of confirmed infections in Taiwan is relatively low when compared with other countries.
Christensen, who is set to step down soon, also said that neighboring countries have seen a surge in COVID-19 cases. His comments are generally interpreted to mean that Washington is not in a hurry to provide Taiwan with vaccines. But Hsiao said Taiwan will continue its efforts to get US vaccines.
At a public hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee, high-ranking US official Samantha Power said that 75% of the 80 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines the US will share will go through the global vaccine distribution scheme COVAX. Power said the remaining 25% will be released through bilateral mechanisms.
Power said Washington will release the vaccines to different countries based on its relations with their public health and medical systems, their level of preparation and the state of bilateral ties.