Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je says that the city may allocate NT$4 billion (about US$143 million) to purchase vaccine booster shots. That’s to offer residents more protection against COVID-19 variants, in the form of a third jab.
Local media released footage on Sunday night of the mayor discussing an NT$8 billion budget with two deputy mayors. Half of that budget would be used for economic relief, while the other half would be used for booster shots.
When asked to comment further on Monday, the mayor said that there was still half a year to observe the situation and make a decision.
Ko says that it’s more important right now to make sure that people get the first two shots. He says that a budget for booster shots can be discussed now, but it does not need to be finalized until the end of the year. He says that means the city government still has half a year to decide on what to do.
The mayor’s comments came during a visit to Taipei Veterans General Hospital. He was there to thank the staff for conducting 5,400 PCR tests on people connected to COVID-19 cluster infections at three Taipei markets. Ko says the hospital worked quickly to return test results on the same day they were administered. He says that helped officials to prevent further transmission and contain the outbreak.