I landed in Taipei yesterday and am here for the forseeable. Being a bit scatty of mind, I left my vaccinations till quite late before I left. I was put on an accelerated programme for Hep B but there was still not enough time for my third and final shot (which was supposed to be two weeks after my previous one which works out that I need it done tomorrow).
I went down to the Adventist hospital today and they said I would need a full medical exam which would cost upwards of $2000 as I am yet to be registered for insurance. I have just had my medical check done today at a different hospital so I was wondering if this additional exam is necessary? If not, is there somewhere else I can go that would be willing to give me the shot only? I have read recommendations in other posts about the NTUH. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated as it’s something I want to ensure I have covered.
My advice is that you roll the dice and decide that either a) the third shot is totally unnecessary (which would coincide with my *hack * wheeze * good health despite having only received the first two doses), b) the 2000 NT loss is worth the peace of mind knowing that you are properly vaccinated (on the exact date necessary for total immunity), or c) wait for your NHI to come through before “diving” into unnecessarily risky situations and receive your third shot when it is (may be) covered by insurance.
Thank you for your replies. I posted this in the one other forum - the open one - as I wasn’t sure where would be the best place to ask. It appears it was deleted from there in any case. I might pop down to the NTUH tomorrow and see whether they require a full medical check as well. Unfortunately, I haven’t got my results back yet as I only had the tests yesterday. I think they were saying at Adventist that it would be some way over $2000 just for the check and then there would be the jab on top of of that. It just seems pretty steep seeing as all I want is one jab! However, I would rather be safe and not waste the money I have already spent on the two jabs i had in the UK. Anyway, thanks again.
I’m not sure what the cost would be in Taiwan or if the doctors there are familiar with it, but you can have your titers (tigh-ters) checked to see if you have full immunity after 2 shots. Not everyone needs the third dose, we just give it “just in case.” In the U.S. a titer check is just a simple blood draw but most doctors don’t offer it since it’s less costly than just giving the third injection.
