President Tsai Ing-wen is set to get a Taiwan-made COVID-19 vaccine. That was the word from the Presidential Office on Wednesday.
The vaccine, manufactured by Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp., is the only domestically-developed vaccine to receive emergency use authorization in Taiwan so far. It has been added as an option alongside the AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines in Taiwan’s latest round of vaccination registration.
According to the Presidential Office, President Tsai completed her registration to get this Taiwan-made vaccine on Tuesday, and will get her first dose once supplies are ready.
President Tsai herself has countered criticism of this vaccine, especially from her political opponents and concern that the vaccine has not completed the usual third-stage trials. She says that the government will only allow the distribution of vaccines that are safe, effective, and legal, and that meet scientific standards.