COVID-19 Booster Shots in Taiwan

More next generation bivalent boosters from Moderna have arrived:

Guy

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Any news on when 5-11 year olds will be eligible for booster shots here?

Yes! The answer seems to be that this is possible starting on Friday December 2. Children aged 6-11 are eligible to receive the latest generation Moderna bivalent booster, while children between the ages of 5-6 can get the Pfizer monovalent booster (as we have no Pfizer bivalent boosters in stock in Taiwan).

More details about eligibility are here:

Guy

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For anyone looking, here are current links to register:

Taipei City
New Taipei City

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How’s the booster process? Is it the same as previous shots? Or do you need to undergo some medical evaluation before you get the bivalent vaccine?

It’s the same as before. Bring your NHI card and your yellow vaccine card to stamp.

I was in-and-out of Taipei City Renai Hospital in a flash. Very nice set up there.

Guy

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Surely you mean “in a heartbeat”? :wink:

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Heart stopping comments from you today

So today I went in to get another Booster as 84 days have elapsed since the last one. Booked into the same place as last time - the one at Taipei Arena.

Got there at 09:00 and only 10 of us at that stage, did the check-in stuff and headed off to the appointed seat where the Nurses took my Yellow Card and NHI Card, but then informed me via a Male Nurse/Doctor who spoke excellent English that 'It is Government Policy that not more than one Moderna 4/5 Booster is allowed", which I accepted as i had not the language skills to question.

When I got home though, my Partner (who has had the original Moderna Biv and the 4/5 one) said “What the …” and hopped on the phone to the Taipei City Vaccination people, who said i was fed rubbish, but will check with the CDC and ring back.

Interesting, I can’t see anything that says it’s not allowed, but time may tell I guess.

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Update today - after my partner asked the Songshan District Office medical centre what they knew.

It seems that the CDC did issue an instruction to the Various Governments and Hospitals that the Moderna BA.4/5 Vaccine booster was NOT to be administered to people who had already had a booster with that same Vaccine. The reason for the instruction is not known - is probably being cautious about reactions, or to preserve supplies. BUT, the problem is, they forgot to inform the public it seems, or at least if they did it’s in some obscure corner of a website somewhere.

You would think that the Booking System would have some reference to the restriction, but no, and you would also think that it would prevent such bookings being made - though it probably doesn’t link to the NHI Vaccination Records in real time.

So, if you have had a Moderna BA.4/5 booster, however long ago, don’t expect to be able to get another until such time that the CDC lifts the restriction and properly informs the public. Sit tight or go for a different brand it seems.

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We’re getting small glimpses into possible future vaccination policies as CECC head Victor Wang (王必勝) visits different municipalities ahead of the change in masking rules tomorrow. In Taichung, he reportedly recommended people to get at least one booster per year. It’s not clear yet if that will become a formal recommendation going forward.

Source: Minister hails vaccination uptake as mask rules ease - Taipei Times

Guy

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the second booster vaccination rate is only about 20 percent.

Sounds like people have had enough; that’s only slightly more than the 80-90% rejection rate in other countries. The poor chap will have to find some other way to fund his retirement.

Wonder what Taichung’s “methods” were? Threatening low-wage workers with job loss, perhaps?

Yeah, it probably doesn’t hurt having >100k migrant workers to coerce.

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Taichung always seemed more anal than other places when I went there for my kid’s dance comp. If you are vaccinated, no mask needed, no vaccine put on your masks. Test before etc. didn’t make sense. they always said it was from the government but it wasnt. Unless those extra rules were from the local governments. They always backed down after I kicked up a fuss though.

USA may be considering lining up covid booster shots annually like flu shots.

Australia looks like right now they’re just recommending minimally six months between boosters.

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Canada likewise recommends six months between boosters. I just checked the British Columbia guidelines and they stated that any adult who received one of the bivalent boosters is ineligible to receive another one, at least for now (similar to what @yinggeaussie found out here in Taiwan).

Guy

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They already added it to the childhood vaccination schedule, which is possibly a stepping-stone towards boostaz4life for everyone. Adults are done with it, but as those kids grow up they’re far less likely to question endless jabs.

Not all adults, apparently. :whistle:

That must suck for anyone wanting more frequent protection. Or, well, you know, more frequent vaccination.

Bivalent is becoming old-school tech anyway. Trivalent ones may be on the way. I know what you’ll be wanting for Christmas. :grin:

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05548439

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:rofl:

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IIRC it suffered from the same problem (well, one of the problems) as the Version 0.1 products: it targeted an organism which, by the time the product was released, had gone extinct.