TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Academia Sinica President James Liao (廖俊智) received his first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine Friday (April 23) and urged members of the public to follow his lead.

Liao told the media he had registered for an appointment at Taipei City Hospital's Zhongxiao Branch as soon as he learned he was eligible to receive the vaccine. He said he had chosen to get his shot on Friday so he could have the weekend to recover.

Although certain recipients experience side effects, Liao said the vaccine has been proven safe by public health experts in almost every country. He expressed hope that Taiwanese will have faith in science.

Liao said most scholars believe the benefit of receiving the vaccine is far greater than the risk. However, he stressed that people should continue to follow epidemic prevention guidelines even after vaccination.

Meanwhile, Liao pointed out that Academia Sinica has been working on new vaccines against COVID-19 as well as medications. Although he understands the public is eager to learn more about the domestic vaccines, he said he could not provide an exact time frame for their rollout.