TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — There was a surge in inquiries about the publicly funded flu vaccines on Monday after Barbie Hsu's (徐熙媛) death due to a flu-related illness.
News broke that Hsu, known as "Big S" (大S), had died from influenza-related pneumonia at age 48, sparking a rush for flu vaccinations across Taiwan. Hospitals and local health bureaus reported a spike in inquiries, and the Centers for Disease Control website was temporarily overwhelmed, per UDN.
CDC Spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said that 6.78 million flu vaccine doses were procured this year, but only 200,000 free doses remain. Tseng urged high-risk groups to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
The CDC held an impromptu press conference Monday to release the latest flu statistics. From Jan. 19-25, outpatient and emergency visits for flu-like illnesses reached 162,352, the highest for the same week in 10 years. The number of flu-related outpatient and emergency visits is expected to reach 160,000 to 180,000 this week and next.
In addition, from Oct. 1 to Feb. 2, 641 severe flu cases were reported, with 132 flu-related deaths, the highest figures in the past five years. Over 90% of those who died did not get vaccinated this flu season.
The current flu outbreak in Taiwan is linked to global flu trends with influenza type A (H1N1) the predominant strain. Currently, the national flu vaccination rate stands at 46.3% for people aged 65 and older and 68.6% for preschool children.
Due to the limited supply of publicly funded vaccines, local governments are urging high-risk groups to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
Tainan originally had over 7,400 doses of free flu vaccines remaining, but they were fully booked in less than three hours starting at noon Monday. The family medicine department at the Ministry of Health and Welfare Taichung Hospital saw a surge of patients in the afternoon.
Many said that after hearing the news about Big S, they decided to get vaccinated for protection. A 20-year-old university student said he had previously thought flu-related deaths mainly affected the elderly, but since Big S passed away in her 40s, he decided to get vaccinated immediately.
Hung Wei-chieh (洪暐傑), director of family medicine at E-Da Hospital, said that before the Lunar New Year, no patients were interested in getting the flu vaccine. However, after news of Hsu's death spread, even a previously hesitant 60-year-old patient proactively came in for vaccination.
