NEW TAIPEI (TVBS News) — New Taipei City faces a critical shortage of government-funded flu vaccines, with only about 1,000 doses remaining, the Department of Health (衛生局) announced on Friday (Feb. 7).
The demand for flu vaccinations surged following the sudden death of renowned actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) from the flu, said Wang Mei-Hua (王美華), head of the Disease Control Division (疾病管制科) at New Taipei's Department of Health. Wang told the Central News Agency (CNA, 中央社) that the city purchased over 1 million doses this year, but nearly all have been administered as of Thursday.
The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC, 疾病管制署) announced on Thursday it will procure an additional 100,000 flu vaccine doses, prioritizing young children and individuals over 65. These vaccines are expected to be available by Feb. 20.
Wang stated that the number of doses New Taipei will receive remains unclear, and plans for vaccination site distribution, primarily across 29 district health centers, will proceed once confirmed.
