The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Jan. 26 said that as of Jan. 15, 2021, around 6 million government-funded flu shots have been administered. To maximize the effectiveness of the vaccination campaign, eligibility for free vaccination has been expanded to include anyone older than six months of age who have not been vaccinated. People above the age of 65 and preschoolers are prioritized for vaccination to ensure protection of all.

The CECC said that since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, participation was high during the 2020 flu vaccination season. In response, the government purchased an additional 410,000 doses, of which 350,000 doses were the U.S.-made Flublok quadrivalent influenza vaccine that are only administered to people above the age of 18. These doses have since been distributed to networks of clinics and hospitals and are readily available. However, in light of potential flu-like side effects that could occur in a very low proportion of people including fever and sore muscles, which are difficult to discern from symptoms of other types of infections, those who are undergoing quarantine self-health management should refrain from taking the flu shot until they are cleared to do so.

Data from the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control show that in the previous week (Jan. 17-23), there were 39,656 outpatient visits for flu symptoms, 5.6 percent higher compared to the previous week but still lower than figures from four flu seasons ago. In the past four weeks, 41.7 percent of recorded cases of respiratory symptoms were caused by the respiratory syncytial virus, while recent testing show that the infection rate has been trending down. The second highest ranking cause of infections is herpes simplex virus, which accounted for 29.6 percent of cases. Since October 2020, there has only been one serious case of influenza complication from the H3N2 variant with no recorded deaths, which is lower compared to the four previous flu seasons, which recorded between 245 to 845 infection cases with the number of deaths ranging between 41 and 137.

The CECC reminds the public to be mindful of the changing weather and to follow public health protocols.