Latest information about vaccine policy in Taiwan
Over the weekend, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced that businesses that wish to import COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan must first entrust an authorized pharmaceutical company to apply for approval from Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration (TFDA).
The point of contact for companies that are ready to file a COVID-19 vaccine import application is the Industrial Development Bureau (IDB): 0800-000-257. Please only contact the IDB once you have confirmed a source for the vaccines and are ready to seek assistance with the application process. For general information, please refer to the CECC website.
*Companies may indicate in their proposal whether a certain number or percentage of the vaccines should be reserved for the company’s staff and their family. The TFDA will take into account such information when reviewing the application.
**Please note that this translation is prepared by AmCham, not the Taiwan government.
Other useful information:
- The CECC’s latest press statements can be found here.
- CommonWealth Magazine’s daily live updates on Taiwan’s COVID-19 outbreak
- The American Institute in Taiwan’s COVID-19 information
Open Letter: Seeking Vaccines from the United States to Ensure Supply Chains Stay Linked
The American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan has issued a letter to the United States Department of State and The White House seeking to secure more vaccines for Taiwan.
The content of the open letter from Chairperson CW Chin is as follows:
On behalf of the over 1,000 members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan, the majority of whom participate in the supply chains for semiconductors, ICT goods, pharmaceuticals and other technologies critical to American jobs and prosperity, I convey our request that the United States act quickly to help Taiwan secure badly needed supplies of vaccines.
Recent COVID-19 outbreaks in northern Taiwan have placed enormous strains on manufacturing operations that are among the most complex and sensitive on the planet. As you set surplus vaccine distribution criteria, our Chamber wishes to underscore that Taiwan’s capacity to continue and even expand manufacturing output is in-trinsically linked to U.S. national economic interests. At the current juncture in America’s economic recovery further disruptions to the supply of semiconductors for the automobile sector, in particular, would be devastating.
As many Americans will recall, Taiwan provided significant help to the United States in the form of millions of sets of critically needed medical supplies at the outset of the pandemic last year. Taiwan’s performance combatting COVID has been the more remarkable given its exclusion from participation in key fora such as the World Health Assembly.
We appreciate the efforts from the White House and the Department of State to do everything possible to supply Taiwan with much needed vaccines.
Sincerely yours,
C.W. Chin
Chairperson
The American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan