TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – During the early hours of the latest COVID-19 vaccine booster campaign, at least 430,000 people registered for a third shot, reports said Saturday (Jan. 15).
From the reopening of the 1922 government website at 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., a total of 760,000 visitors showed up, but the numbers did not cause any technical problems for the system, CNA reported.
Vaccinations for the booster round will begin Monday (Jan. 17), with another round expected before the start of the Lunar New Year holiday Jan. 29. However, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) reminded the public that especially larger hospitals might suspend vaccinations for four days during the holiday, from Jan. 31 through Feb. 3, in order to allow their staff to celebrate as well.
A total of 6.86 million people were qualified to receive a third COVID shot, having received their previous jab at least 12 weeks ago, but 430,333 had registered by 1 p.m. Saturday.
The choice of vaccine brands showed a large imbalance, with only 1,211 selecting AstraZeneca, 46,513 picking BioNTech, 12,628 naming the Taiwan-made Medigen vaccine, and a vast majority of 369,981 choosing Moderna, according to CECC data.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) received Medigen booster shots early Saturday morning in order to encourage the public to register for the campaign.