China’s COVID Vaccines Trusted by Just 1.3 Percent of Taiwanese: Poll

China’s COVID Vaccines Trusted by Just 1.3 Percent of Taiwanese: Poll

Only 1.3 percent of the Taiwanese public would accept a vaccine made in China, according to new polling, which also revealed potential uptake among just over 60 percent of the population.Taiwan's government has been lauded for its swift and effective pandemic response. The democratic island nation of 24 million people has reported 942 cases to date, including nine deaths, since the beginning of the outbreak.More than a year on from its first confirmed case on January 21, 2020—a resident who had returned from Wuhan the day before—the conversation has now shifted to any upcoming immunization program.The administration of President Tsai Ing-wen has managed to secure 20 million vaccines, with another 25 doses in the pipeline, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control has said. Around 20 million units in the second batch are expected to be domestically produced.

Health officials say the first jabs could be administered next month, but the majority of participants in a recent poll on the subject felt the government could do more to address unease surrounding the use of COVID-19 vaccines.A survey published Tuesday by Taiwanese magazine Global Views Monthly (GVM) showed 60.3 percent of respondents were willing to accept a vaccine if offered one by the