Taiwan aims to cover 60 per cent of its population with at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine by October, the health minister said, adding that the island's infection rate was not good, despite its pandemic curbs.

“If we turn on all the firepower for vaccination, the coverage for the first shot could reach 60pc,” Health Minister Chen Shih-chung told a daily news briefing.

Authorities will use a combination of imported and home-made vaccines to reach that fraction of a population of more than 23 million by the end of October, he said, adding that even coverage of 40% would be effective to curb the outbreak.

Opinion

Editorial

Budget presser
14 Jun, 2026

Budget presser

OFFICIAL post-budget media briefings in Pakistan are carefully choreographed affairs, full of reassuring phrases ...
Muharram precautions
14 Jun, 2026

Muharram precautions

WITH Muharram due to start next week, the authorities have already begun annual exercises to ensure that the ...
Blood bequests
14 Jun, 2026

Blood bequests

WORLD Blood Donor Day offers a moment of “gratitude, advocacy and renewed commitment” for thalassaemia patients...
Sustainable path?
Updated 13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

The FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth.
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...