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Taiwan rolls out first indigenous Covid vaccine amid criticism. All you need to know
The Taiwanese health ministry approved Medigen’s coronavirus vaccine for emergency use in July
Taiwan has developed its first indigenous vaccine against Covid-19, manufactured by biotechnology company Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen received her shot of the domestically-developed Covid-19 vaccine in capital Taipei on Monday. "It doesn't hurt, I'm in good spirits, and I'm going to continue working for the day," she later wrote on Facebook and gave it her stamp of approval.
The vaccination program in the island nation was dependent on foreign-produced Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines till now.
Read on to find out more about Medigen’s Covid-19 vaccine:
1. The Taiwanese health ministry approved Medigen’s coronavirus vaccine for emergency use in July to reduce the country’s reliance on foreign manufactured vaccines, deliveries of which were marred by delays.
2. Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration said in an official statement that a 20 member panel had convened in July to approve the vaccine, but a two-member panel declined to approve the vaccine.
3. The vaccine is yet to finish clinical trials and no efficacy data on it is available yet. The Taiwanese government has said studies conducted so far have shown that the vaccine works and the antibodies produced by it are three times higher than those produced by the AstraZeneca shot, reported Bloomberg.
4. The shot has come under criticism who have alleged that the approval process was rushed. Taiwan's main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), mounted a fierce campaign to invalidate Medigen's authorisation by filing a lawsuit, which was rejected by a Taiwanese court last week.
5. It is a recombinant protein vaccine that helps the body develop immunity by using the virus’ spike proteins. It belongs to the family of vaccines like Novovax and Covovax. Recombinant protein vaccines often require the use of adjuvants to generate a much stronger response.
6. The Taiwanese government has said that citizens will have the freedom to choose their vaccines and no one will be forcibly administered Medigen’s indigenous jab.
