TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The percentage of Taiwanese citizens who are fully vaccinated against COVID has reached 50%, nearing the Central Epidemic Command Center's (CECC) goal of 60% for the end of the year and the potential criteria for loosening border restrictions.

CECC Spokesman Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) announced on Wednesday afternoon (Nov. 24) that 163,868 doses of COVID vaccines had been administered that day. The percentage of Taiwanese who have received one vaccine dose has reached 77.34% and the number of those who have been inoculated with two doses has climbed to 50.5%, breaking the 50% barrier for the first time.

On Oct. 25, health minister and CECC head Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said that Taiwan would consider loosening its border restrictions when the full vaccination rate has reached 60%. That same day, the deputy chief of the CECC, Chen Tsung-yen (陳宗彥) said the center's goal is for the country to achieve 60% full vaccination by the end of the year.

Based on the current rate of inoculations, the center now estimates that the 60% target will be reached by mid-December. Thus far, a total of 29.91 million doses of COVID vaccines have been administered across the country.