TIMELINE QUESTIONS: Chen Shih-chung said: ‘If anyone could assure us that we could get the shots in the first quarter of next year, we could set off firecrackers’

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 26, 2020
By: Lee I-chia / Staff reporter

Taiwan has secured nearly 15 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday, as it reported five new imported infections among travelers from Indonesia and the Philippines.

Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said that Taiwan on Monday signed a procurement contract with a COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer and paid a deposit to secure 10 million doses.

It was the first contract finalized with a manufacturer and negotiations are under way with three other vaccine makers, Chen said.

With the more than 4.6 million doses that can be obtained through the COVAX platform — a global framework to accelerate the development and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines and ensure equitable distribution among member countries — Taiwan has secured nearly 15 million doses, he said.    [FULL  STORY]