Taiwan’s president receives domestically developed vaccine

23 August 2021, 08:14

In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen receives her first shot of the island’s first domestically developed coronavirus vaccine
Virus Outbreak Taiwan President. Picture: PA

The vaccine was given emergency approval by regulators in July.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has received her first dose of the island’s domestically developed coronavirus vaccine as it launched its rollout to the public.

The vaccine, made by Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp, was given emergency approval by regulators in July using a shortcut that prompted fierce opposition from parts of Taiwan’s medical and scientific community.

Taiwanese regulators bypassed the large-scale, longer term studies that are typically used to approve vaccines.

Instead, they compared the level of antibodies that Medigen’s vaccine was able to generate with that of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, which has been approved by many governments and has undergone the full three stages of clinical trials.

(PA Graphics)
(PA Graphics)

The two-dose Medigen protein subunit vaccine uses a piece of the coronavirus to teach the body to mount an immune response.

The decision to give approval based on the new standard prompted an expert from the advisory committee on vaccines to resign.

Critics say granting approval before finishing full clinical trials does not provide adequate information on how effective the vaccine is in the real world in protecting from Covid-19, although initial studies may have promising results.

The level of antibodies in the blood is known to correlate with protection from the disease, but scientists do not yet know what the exact level is.

Virus Outbreak Taiwan President
A nurse holds up the packaging for the vaccine (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP)

Regulators said Medigen will be required to submit real-world efficacy data within a year of the approval.

They said when approving the vaccine that data provided by Medigen showed that it produced 3.4 times the level of neutralising antibodies as that of AstraZeneca’s vaccine.

Ms Tsai received her first dose of the vaccine on Monday morning at a gymnasium at National Taiwan University in Taipei.

As of last Friday, 40% of Taiwan’s population of 23 million had received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Virus Outbreak Taiwan President
About 40% of Taiwan’s population has received at least one dose (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP)

The island’s vaccination policy is to prioritise first shots, with only the most high-risk groups initially getting the full two doses, such as medical workers.

That is a large leap from May, when less than 5% of the population had received a vaccine.

Taiwan had remained largely free of Covid-19 for a year and half during the pandemic until an outbreak driven by the alpha variant spread across the island in May, prompting a large-scale lockdown.

At that point, Taiwan had received only about 700,000 doses of the vaccines it had purchased. However, it was able to obtain roughly 5 million vaccines which were donated by Japan and the United States.

By Press Association

Latest World News

See more Latest World News

Friends of Prince Andrew say he's "unsurprised" Giuffre made the post

Prince Andrew 'not surprised' his accuser shared shock post saying she had 'four days to live'

South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol

South Korea president Yoon Suk Yeol removed from office as impeachment upheld over martial law declaration

Virginia Giuffre

Woman driving Prince Andrew accuser Virginia Giuffre during crash that left her with 'four days to live' breaks silence

Exclusive
'Donald Trump has made Putin comfortable,' Mikhail Khodorkovsky has warned

'Trump has made Putin comfortable' despite massive Ukraine war losses, exiled former oligarch tells LBC

The bodies of Andrew Searle and his wife Dawn were discovered by a neighbour.

British couple found dead in south of France home being ‘treated as murder-suicide’

The vehicle was later extinguished after the driver, covered in flames, emerged from the vehicle.

Amsterdam Dam Square car explosion sees driver engulfed in flames - just days after mass stabbing

d

Pictured: US tourist arrested for sailing to remote island and leaving a can of Coke for world's most isolated tribe

The Sentinelese are a pre-Neolithic tribe that rejects contact with the modern world

US tourist arrested for sailing to remote island and leaving a can of Coke for the world's most isolated tribe to try

The Trump administration has been ridiculed after imposing tariffs on uninhabited islands

'No one is safe, not even the penguins': Trump administration ridiculed after imposing tariffs on uninhabited islands

World leaders react to US tariffs

'This is not the act of a friend': World leaders react to Trump's 'unwarranted' tariffs

British couple

British couple found dead in New Zealand named - as police probe possible murder-suicide

Virginia Giuffre said she had been left with 'four days to life' after the crash

Bus driver breaks silence on Virginia Giuffre crash that left her 'with four days to live'

Foreign Secretary David Lammy

David Lammy to urge Nato allies to increase defence spending in bid to make alliance 'stronger, fairer and more lethal'

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

EU threatens further countermeasures against US tariffs after 'major blow to world economy'

Lord Sugar labels Trump tariffs 'a disaster' as Apprentice star teases potential US Presidential meeting

Lord Sugar labels Trump tariffs 'a disaster' and warns that the president 'hasn't thought it through'

Buildings that were destroyed during the Israeli ground and air operations in Gaza

Israel expands ground attack on Gaza to seize 'large areas' - despite pleas from hostage families