TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Monday (Dec. 20) announced that Taiwan's Medigen COVID-19 vaccine, as well as the Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT) and Moderna mRNA jabs, can be applied as booster shots for adults who have already received two doses of other COVID vaccines.
CECC head Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) announced that afternoon that people aged 18 and over who have received two doses of a COVID vaccine more than five months ago can receive a third dose as a booster shot. Chen said that the three vaccines that can be used as booster shots are Medigen, BNT, and Moderna, and the public can choose freely among these three.
Chen said that the third dose is mainly for people aged 18 years and over, with the exception of Medigen, which is for adults aged 20 and over. Although it is not mandatory, the CECC recommends the additional doses be taken, especially for elderly people over 65 years of age, residents and workers in long-term care institutions, medical staff and epidemic prevention staff, high-risk workers, as well as those who are susceptible to infection and risk of severe disease.
According to Chen, people who have received two doses of two-shot vaccines or the one shot of Johnson & Johson single-dose vaccine are eligible for a booster after five months. The dosage for the booster shot will vary with the brand, with a half dose recommended for Moderna and a full dose recommended for Medigen and BNT.
If there had been a severe reaction to the above-mentioned brands, Chen said AstraZeneca (AZ) can be considered as an option for the booster shot.
In addition, Chen said that the second dose can be administered with a different brand from the first. Chen emphasized that although the center recommends sticking with the same brand for the first two doses, people can consult with a physician on mixing their inoculation with another COVID vaccine.
In the case of the first two doses, each should be separated by the recommended length of time. For AZ shots, the interval should be eight or more weeks, while the gap between Medigen, Moderna, and BNT shots should be at least four weeks.
