CECC Approves Vaccines for Children Under 12 提高疫苗涵蓋率 計畫12歲以下也能打疫苗

The CECC has announced all children under 12 are eligible for vaccines now. Medigen is trying to get a EUA for its vaccines to be administered on children.

To get the lagging vaccination rate up, seniors will get a NT$500 gift voucher if they get vaccinated during the 26th round. On the first day, however, the vaccination rate was still less than 15 percent. The Central Epidemic Command Center has also announced all children under 12 are eligible for vaccines now. Experts say COVID-19 is just as dangerous to children as the flu and vaccination is the best form of protection against severe symptoms and death.

Lee Ping-ing, Prevention Vaccination Convener, Ministry of Health and Welfare: “In large-scale epidemics or pandemics, there is still a chance of severe symptoms and death. It may be as lethal to children as the flu, if not more. So, children need to be vaccinated to be protected.”

Currently, 12 to 18-year-olds can only get BNT in Taiwan. Medigen has been trying to get a EUA for its vaccine for the age group in the hopes of getting data on how effective the vaccine is in children, but its application was rejected by the Food and Drug Administration for skipping too many steps and the absence of data.

Chen Shih-chung, Health and Welfare Minister: “I already told you yesterday. We need scientific evidence. We also need reviews by experts. The review process is ongoing. Materials that are needed have not been submitted yet.”

Chen Shih-chung says there is no data on how suitable Medigen is for youths, and Medigen has yet to submit all the necessary documents. Chen also discussed the lifting of certain epidemic-related restrictions this month, saying everything would be clearer in a month or so.

國內新冠本土疫情趨緩，民眾接種疫苗意願降低，即使有長者可拿500元的獎勵，但第26期疫苗預約率至10日下午5時為止還不到15%，為提高疫苗涵蓋率，疫情指揮中心打算下修接種年齡，讓12歲以下兒童也能打疫苗，對此有專家認為，新冠病毒對兒童的威脅不亞於流感，打了疫苗才能預防重症及死亡的風險。

衛福部傳染病防治諮詢會預防接種組召集人李秉穎指出:「大規模感染的時候，他還是會有重症死亡的機會，它對兒童族群的殺傷力，可能不亞於流感，應該會高於流感，所以兒童還是需要靠疫苗來保護。」

此外，國內目前僅有輝瑞BNT疫苗可提供12到18歲青少年接種，國產高端疫苗日前送件，將適應症擴及到12歲以上青少年的臨床資料送衛福部食藥署，申請緊急使用授權EUA，也就是將青少年抗體與成人資料做比較，但食藥署認為不可行，理由是不能免疫橋接再橋接。

衛福部長陳時中表示:「這些我昨天都講過，這還是要有科學的證據，專家的審查純粹要走一個審查的路線，現在好像在相關的一些需要的資料還沒有補全。」

陳時中強調，高端疫苗青少年適應症，尚未啟動審查，食藥署仍在要求業者補件，未來也會依照程序，以科學基礎看待；至於台灣3月起走向經濟防疫新模式，有專家評估，解封策略一個月後比較明朗，陳時中回應表示，是有這樣可能性，目前全球疫情趨緩，1個月後會更明朗。