Non-special Municipalities Receive Fewer Vaccines than Promised 部份非六都縣市驚覺 兒童疫苗配發短少

The central government opened seven large-scale vaccination sites in the six special municipalities today. However, Miaoli, Yunlin County, and other non-special municipality counties and cities discovered that the central government had delivered fewer children's vaccines than they've  promised. 

Seven large-scale vaccination sites in the six special municipalities opened on June 1. The one in Taichung is at the National Museum of Natural Sciences, and it was doing brisk business. Over in Miaoli County, officials were dismayed to discover that the central government had only delivered 2,500 of the 4,000 children's vaccines it promised. 

Chang Jui-hsien, Director, Public Health Bureau, Miaoli County: “We're short 1,500 vaccines. This means that we'll be 2,598 vaccines short for our on-campus vaccination. This will affect the overall planning of on-campus vaccination.”

The county's Public Health Bureau had to make emergency arrangements to transfer vaccines distributed to contract hospitals to campuses. The situation was the same in Yunlin County, which announced the central government delivered 3,300 fewer vaccines than promised. Magistrate Chang Li-shan confirmed that those vaccines ended up at the large-scale vaccination sites in the south instead, and the county was forced to borrow vaccines from neighboring cities and counties. Chang said this situation is extremely unfair for Yunlin's children.

Chang Li-shan, Magistrate, Yunlin County: “They were sent to the large-scale vaccination sites in the south. They originally promised us 5,600 vaccine doses, but slashed that to 2,300. We of course are really worried. It's unfair for children to have to run over to Tainan to get vaccinated.”

The government's failure to deliver vaccines to non-special municipalities left them scrambling. In response, the Executive Yuan blamed local governments for misunderstanding the situation and promised there are sufficient children's vaccines.

Lo Ping-cheng, Spokesperson, Executive Yuan: “A batch of 300,000 Pfizer children's vaccines only arrived in the last two days. The related distribution is being implemented in accordance with procedures. Perhaps there was a misunderstanding.”

The epidemic situation is heating up in central and southern Taiwan. On June 1, Taichung, Changhua, and Nantou all announced that online learning for schools at the senior high school level and below will be extended for another week.

Lu Shiow-yen, Mayor, Taichung City: “After discussing this with the seven large parents' associations, everyone agreed to extend it for one more week, from June 6 to June 10.”

The announcements caused headaches for parents that had to take leave to take care of their children during the week. They say their resilience is really being put to the test, as they can't see the light at the end of the tunnel and policies keep changing.

六都兒童疫苗大型接種站1日開打，台中自然科學博物館現場施打狀況良好，但苗栗縣卻傳出中央原先5月31日預計撥配的4000劑兒童疫苗，只來了2500劑，出現短少的現象。

苗栗縣衛生局長張蕊仙說：「短少了1500劑，以至於我們在校園集中接種的疫苗，將會不足2598劑，會影響到整個校園接種的規劃。」

苗栗衛生局緊急調動配發到合約醫院的疫苗，提供校園接種。雲林縣也少了3300劑，縣長張麗善證實，疫苗被調撥到南部大型施打站去，只能緊急跟鄰近縣市商借，對雲林的孩子來說相當不公平。

雲林縣長張麗善指出：「要調撥到南區的快打站，大型施打站，所以將我們本來，答應我們5600劑的疫苗，縮減成2300劑，我們當然擔心，如果孩子又跑到台南去施打，對孩子來講也不公平。」

非六都縣市兒童疫苗被抽單，引起地方一片譁然，行政院則表示是地方政府誤會，強調兒童疫苗絕對足夠。

行政院發言人羅秉成表示：「這兩天才進了一批30多萬劑的輝瑞兒童疫苗，相關的配發也都按照流程在進行，是不是有誤會？」

另外考量中南部疫情升溫，台中、彰化、南投6月1日陸續宣布，高中以下各級學校線上教學再延一週。

台中市長盧秀燕說：「跟7大家長團體討論以後，大家都主張說停課不停學再延長一週，從6月6日到6月10日。」

不過消息一出，又讓不少家長要為了請假照顧孩子傷腦筋，疫情看不到盡頭，政策說變就變，醫療與教育單位疲於奔命，也考驗家長的應變能力。