Taiwan mobilises diplomats to seek out COVID-19 shots
18 May, 2021
Taiwan is mobilising its diplomatic corps to secure a speedier delivery of COVID-19 vaccines - a quest that has been more urgent since an abrupt rise in domestic cases on an island which has vaccinated less than 1 per cent of its population.
Taiwan has reported a lot more than 700 new domestic infections during the past week, resulting in new curbs in the capital, Taipei, and shocking a population that had become accustomed to life carrying on almost normally with the pandemic well in order.
Taiwan, a significant semiconductor manufacturing hub, possesses only received about 300,000 shots so far for its a lot more than 23 million people, all AstraZeneca vaccines, and the ones are rapidly running out.
In comments published about Tuesday by Taiwan's official Central News Agency, Taipei's top official in Washington said she was in talks with america for a share of the COVID-19 vaccine doses President Joe Biden plans to send abroad.
"We will be in negotiations and striving for it," said Hsiao Bi-khim, the de facto Taiwanese ambassador to America.
She said that although vaccine purchases were the remit of Taiwan's health ministry, her office's role was to speak to America about accelerating those requests.
Biden said America would send at least 20 million more vaccine doses abroad simply by the end of June.
A reference briefed on the problem told Reuters the US government had already been supporting Taiwan coordinate with manufacturers to increase deliveries.
The United States, like the majority of countries, does not have any formal diplomatic relations with Chinese-claimed Taiwan, but is its most significant international backer.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, speaking on Tuesday, said they hoped to supply domestically-developed vaccines prior to the end of July, and that more imported ones were on the way.
"Vaccines that we bought through various channels will little by little arrive from overseas. Everyone, do not worry," she said.
Taiwan has ordered 20 million doses, mostly from AstraZeneca but also from Moderna, though global shortages have curtailed items.
Taiwan has said it also expected to get a lot more than 1 million AstraZeneca shots via the COVAX vaccine-sharing programme for lower-income countries.
A second source acquainted with the problem said Taiwan's diplomats in Germany have been involved in talks with BioNTech
Taiwan complained in February the firm had pulled out of a deal to market it 5 million doses at the last minute, possibly as a result of Chinese pressure. BioNTech later said it did intend to provide COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan.
BioNTech declined to touch upon the status of the talks.
Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou also declined to touch upon information on getting vaccines.
"We are building great efforts and trying through all methods to get the certified vaccines for our persons and residents," she explained.
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