No chimps? Get AstraZeneca’s shot
By Hsieh Yen-yau 謝炎堯
The first batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 has arrived in Taiwan, but many Taiwanese are more worried about the news than relieved.
The concerns are born of news that many medical professionals in Europe inoculated with the AstraZeneca vaccine have fallen ill; that the vaccine is ineffective for those aged 65 or older; that the South African government has halted the vaccine’s rollout; and that Norway, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy and South Korea have temporarily suspended AstraZeneca inoculations of people aged 65 or older.
It is important to clarify at the outset that the medical workers in Europe did not necessarily take time off for fever and headaches after being inoculated with the AstraZeneca vaccine.
People’s willingness to buy local vaccines
By Hsieh Yen-yau 謝炎堯
On Jan. 3, the Indian government granted emergency use authorization for the COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin developed by Bharat Biotech International Ltd. Indian news media praised the move, calling it the pride of the nation.
Covaxin was researched and developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with India’s National Institute of Virology and the Indian Council of Medical Research, using the same technology platform as China’s vaccines.
The institute and the council provided the virus strain in May last year, and in July commenced phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials, which were carried out in 12 Indian hospitals selected by the council.