Yeah. I suppose that’s fine though, when the goal is more money and you ain’t giving refunds for inefficacy.
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Taiwan recommends one COVID vaccine shot per year, two for high-risk cases
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The government has announced an oddly named “vaccine + 1” campaign.
As Taiwan opens its borders and eases its epidemic prevention measures, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) has announced the “vaccine + 1” program, which encourages people who are unvaccinated, under-vaccinated, or unboosted for COVID to receive at least one jab this year.
Under the “vaccine + 1” campaign, three groups of people will be encouraged to get COVID shots, including:
- Those who have not yet received a single COVID vaccination dose
- People who have not completed the basic COVID vaccine course of two shots
- Individuals aged 6 and over who have not yet received the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech BA.5-adapted bivalent boosters
With a catchy name like that, I’m not sure that even @finley will be able to resist!
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Listen god damn it! We have leftover vaccines. You may not want them, you may not need them, but somebody has to have them. If you don’t want them, just offer up your kid. For every 50,000 we jab, one little Jimmy or Mary doesnt need to spend a night in hospital. For covid at least…evil laugh
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What does that even mean? It seems to make zero sense given the rest of the description.
They do like their +'es, don’t they? Maybe that’s the limit of their arithmetic skills and they’re just showing off.
“Individuals aged six and over?”. What is wrong with these people? Frankly they can shove their +1 in the same place they have their heads currently wedged.
That seems to be exactly what it is. They did the same thing in the UK. It’ll be interesting to see what happens, but despite the public appearance of compliance, I have a feeling most of them will end up in the garbage. I wonder if the CECC get any backhanders for discarded doses?
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An annual COVID booster campaign may start in 2024, with March/April as the designated window to get the shot. These details are not finalized but this is reportedly what the CECC is thinking now.
Guy
Seems strange to have it in March or April. Peak protection during the summer? And back to baseline for respiratory illness season.
There is no clear sense that COVID infections follow a seasonal pattern yet—another reason it is absolutely not like “the flu” or other familiar respiratory illnesses.
Of course this may change down the road . . .
Guy
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They probably decided it “scientifically”, on the basis of the expiration dates of “vaccines” they’ve already ordered lol.
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Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) head Victor Wang (王必勝) on Thursday said either March or April could be designated as the month for annual COVID-19 vaccinations in Taiwan starting in 2024.
But mulling is required first, of course.
“Annual COVID vaccinations” LOL. Are they really going to keep this up long after COVID isn’t even a thing and 80% of the population have lost interest? I wonder how many of that 80% have been red-pilled and how many are just bored with it all.
Suffice for what, exactly? Keeping the beer fund topped up?
I have a feeling certain people have already cottoned onto that idea, and they’re making bank like nobody’s business. At the last count the richest people on the planet had increased their collective wealth by ~$16trillion, IIRC … while the middle classes have seen their wealth eroded by almost exactly that much.
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No doubt a principled decision to forego vaccines (which, to be clear, have been so far provided to people in Taiwan, regardless of citizenship, gratis) will help bridge the awful wealth gap. 
Or maybe, just maybe, that awful wealth gap—which has been gaining momentum globally since the Thatcher / Reagan neoliberal turn—is a separate and also worthwhile topic to discuss, instead of muddling it up here.
Guy
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US CDC recommends an updated vaccine especially for certain categories.
Wonder when or if the latest will be available in Taiwan?
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For certain the latest Moderna shots will be available in Taiwan, as we already have them under contract. The roll-out is expected to be later this month (i.e. in September 2023). From the report below:
The first batch is expected to be about 2 million doses, which will initially be made available to people in high-risk groups, he said, while other recipients will have to wait following discussions by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a unit under the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
Guy
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“First batch”? They actually think there are more than 2m “high risk” individuals who even want these things? I’m sure there are quite a few Taiwanese people who are still excited by all things COVID, but I’m not convinced it’s that many.
I’m pretty sure the intent here is simply to skim some more money, and most of those vials will end up in landfill.
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I hope there is some way to track the rollout and know what locations to go to get the most current.
For those that aren’t in some special category.