Healthcare establishments will offer mixed bookings

HELPING:
The option to book directly at listed hospitals and clinics is an attempt to improve access to COVID-19 vaccinations, the health minister said.

• By Lee I-chia / Journalist

From tomorrow, people who have received a first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at least eight weeks earlier can make an appointment directly at health facilities to receive a dose of the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday as it reported seven imported cases of the disease.

In an effort to improve access to COVID-19 vaccinations, people can mix and match vaccines by making appointments for vaccines at designated hospitals and clinics, the Minister of Health and Human Rights said. Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳 時 中), who runs the center.

The center announced last week that during the 15th round of immunization from today to Wednesday next week, people who received a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine at least eight weeks earlier could register with the national system. COVID-19 vaccination booking online to receive a Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine as a second dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

Chen said yesterday that people eligible for the mixed plan who have not registered online can now book appointments at designated health facilities, which will be announced by local governments.

The estimated 2.9 million people eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine could start making an appointment on the online system at 10 a.m. yesterday.

About 1.2 million people had made an appointment at 1 p.m. yesterday, Chen said.

The percentage of eligible recipients who actually make an appointment is expected to decrease on subsequent rounds of immunization, as a large portion of eligible recipients who have recorded their immunization preference in the system and who were eligible in multiple rounds are expected to decline. Previous tours have not made an appointment, so they are unlikely to book one in future tours, he said.

Chen said 261,640 doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered on Monday, bringing the country’s first-dose vaccination rate to 77.15% and its full immunization coverage to 48.9%.

No local infections or deaths were confirmed yesterday, he said.

Of the seven imported cases, four are male and three are female, Chen said, adding that they had arrived from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Germany, Vietnam and the United States.

Six of those cases are vaccine-ruptured infections, he added.

When asked if national restrictions could be relaxed, although the center said on Monday that the level 2 COVID-19 alert would likely be extended into next week, Chen said there would not be much. room to do so, as the center would implement similar measures. in last year’s fall-winter COVID-19 prevention program.

Centralized quarantine facilities are available for inbound travelers from December 14 to February 14.

A total of 3,623 of those rooms have been reserved, while 17,977 were left available as of 1pm yesterday, according to CECC data.