Registrations for the twelfth round of COVID-19 vaccinations opened on Monday, with shots from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca all on offer. However, some are complaining about appointment availability.
More than 1.3 million people over 30 chose to get the BioNTech vaccine in Taiwan. When registration opened at 10 am on Monday, many of them found availability of times and places severely limited.
A pharmacist says that because of limited choices of times and places, many people decided to skip this round of vaccinations, and wait until the next one.
Registrations for the current, twelfth round of vaccinations is divided into stages. People over 30 started making appointments at 10 am on Monday, while those over 23 can do so on October 25.
However, some full-time workers said they couldn’t find the time to book so early in the day, so they asked friends and family for help in securing a good slot. By 10:30am on Monday, the registration system was already struggling due to the volume of users.
Besides BioNTech, this round also includes second doses of Moderna for age groups over 55 and 18, with registrations on October 19 and 22 respectively. Second doses of AstraZeneca will be available for age groups over 38, 18, and 45. Registration dates differ, so people should check text messages for official information.
Nearly 400,000 people are still holding out for their first shot of Moderna. The Central Epidemic Command Center says there is a high chance they will get it in November. Mixed vaccine shots may also start around the same time.
With more people eligible for a wider range of shots, Taiwan’s system of mass vaccination is being put to the test.