The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced that due to the continued severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and signs pointing to resurgence, the vaccine will play a vital role in Taiwan’s prevention and control efforts. However, due to the constraints of a seller’s market, in a bid to diversify risks, the CECC has launched three simultaneous efforts at procurement, through means including “international investments,” “negotiations with individual suppliers” and “domestic development” to ensure adequate supplies for Taiwan’s at-risk demographic.
Currently the CECC is closing in on a deal to purchase 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, comprised of 4.76 million doses from the COVAX partnership, 10 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, and the remainder from another undisclosed supplier. The vaccines are expected to be delivered by March 2021 at the earliest and the government has planned for the required cold chain. In addition, discussions with several vaccine manufacturers that have already conducted phase-three clinical trials are in progress.
The status of the clinical trials of the three domestic vaccine developers is explained as follows:
- Adimmune: the company was not able to determine an appropriate dosage from its phase-one trial; the company has been advised to conduct its phase-one trial anew.
- Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corporation: the company has been conditionally approved to conduct a phase-two trial.
- United Biomedical, Inc. Asia: data from the company’s phase-one trial is expected to be available for review in January 2021.
The CECC said that to achieve herd immunity, approximately 65 percent of the population must be administered the vaccine. Based on an estimate of two doses per person, around 30 million doses of vaccines need to be procured. Regarding public-funded vaccine shots, prioritization will be given to medical professionals and other at-risk demographics. The government will continue to monitor domestic demand for vaccines and their availability in determining whether to allow out of pocket vaccination.
[2020-12-30/Taiwan Centers for Disease Control]
