Over the past few months, Taiwan has been systematically rolling out COVID-19 vaccine shots to people across the country. However, Taiwan has had to rely largely on donations from overseas for its supply of jabs. Now, as the country doles out more vaccines than it gets, authorities are mulling what few options they have left.
Health Minister Chen Shih-chung’s face fills with worry anytime he talks about Taiwan’s COVID-19 vaccination situation. Taiwan hasn’t been able to secure a steady supply of vaccines, and it has mostly relied on donations from other countries for its current stock of AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines. A locally produced COVID-19 vaccine from Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corporation is also on the way, but some people have reservations about its efficacy.
At current vaccination rates, Taiwan will soon run out of AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines. The vast majority of people who have gotten a COVID-19 vaccine have only received a single dose, so what should they do if Taiwan runs out of vaccines come the time for their second jab?
Well, National Taiwan University Hospital Doctor Huang Li-min says people who received the AstraZeneca vaccine can think about getting an mRNA vaccine like Moderna or BioNTech for their second shot. Taiwan has reportedly secured a deal for 15 million doses of the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine, to be donated by private entities. However, it’s still unclear when they will arrive.
On the other hand, those who received a Moderna vaccine have fewer options. Huang says those people must receive an mRNA vaccine as their second dose.
Huang says whether you’ve had an AstraZeneca or Moderna vaccine, you can wait up to six months between your first and second shots before seeing a drop in protection against COVID-19.