TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants have spread in Taiwan. In a recent meeting organized by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, health experts decided that the next-generation vaccines will be open for vaccination in two phases.
The number hasn't been confirmed yet. It may be more than 2 million. It is still under discussion, but there will be at least 2 million (doses), said Chuang Jen-hsiang, the spokesperson of the CECC. Up to 2 million doses should be available to the public. The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that Moderna's next-generation vaccines will be used as booster shots for two categories of people first.
In the first phase, it is scheduled to be available for those over 65 years old, residents in long-term care, and high-risk individuals over 18 years old who suffer from immune insufficiency. The second phase will be open to front-line medical staff, port personnel, airline crew, and residential quarantine inspection staff who are more exposed to the virus. In addition to Moderna's next-generation vaccine, Novavax, initially only provided for adults, will now also be available to children between 12 and17.