Registration for COVID-19 booster shots is open as of Thursday. Health Minister Chen Shih-chung announced the news on Thursday. Observers had expected that the government would not begin administering third COVID-19 vaccine doses until January.
Chen says that in order to be eligible for a third dose, people must have received their second jab at least five months ago. He estimates that around 60,000 people in Taiwan will meet this condition by December 7.
This date has been pushed up due to the discovery of the Omicron variant, which may pose a new risk to Taiwan. People getting their third shot will get the Moderna COVID vaccine in all cases, regardless of which brand they received previously.
Chen says that for now, the Omicron variant will not affect the government's revised quarantine plan for the Lunar New Year period. This plan will allow visitors coming to Taiwan during that period to quarantine at home for the second and third week of their visit, instead of spending the first two weeks at a quarantine facility.
Chen says that visitors are most likely to spread COVID-19 during the first seven days after arrival, so they will still spend this period at a quarantine facility. In addition, Chen says that the health ministry is confident in its ability to use technology to supervise proper adherence to home quarantine rules. Therefore, the risk posed by the influx of visitors during the holiday will be minimal.