- 期刊
The Strategy Behind Taiwan's COVID-19 Immunization Program: National Security and Global Solidarity
摘要
In mid-2020, Taiwan started its national COVID-19 immunization plan through procurement of vaccines made by Moderna, AstraZeneca, and BioNTech/Pfizer, and the mass production of vaccines developed by domestic companies. The first case was immunized on March 22, 2021. The percentage of people who had received at least one dose remained very low (0.8%) on May 15 when the Level 3 Alert was announced due to an outbreak of the Alpha variant. The initial low coverage was the result of procurement interference, delayed delivery, misinformation from China and local pro-China media, as well as vaccine hesitancy. The immunization coverage has increased rapidly since early June when Japan, the U.S., Lithuania, and the Czech Republic began to donate large quantities of vaccines to Taiwan. The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration issued emergency use authorization for the MVC-COV1901 vaccine manufactured by Medigen, a domestic company. By September 15, the percentage of people who had received at least one dose was over 50%, and is expected to approach 70% by the end of October. The dual strategy of international procurement and domestic production seems to ensure the national security of Taiwan in the COVID-19 pandemic. Global solidarity through international cooperation is the best policy to minimize the impact of vaccine nationalism.