NHK reports that Japan will ship 1.2 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to Taiwan on June 4.
Japan will reportedly be sending 1.2 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Taiwan on Friday (June 4).
As Taiwan grapples with the worst outbreak since the start of the pandemic and a severe shortage of vaccines, Japan’s government has decided to send 1.2 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Taiwan on Friday, according to NHK.
During an online vaccine summit held on Wednesday (June 2), Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide announced that his government plans to donate 30 million surplus vaccine doses to other countries and regions. In the spirit of this gesture and given the sudden surge in cases in Taiwan since mid-May, Japan’s government has decided to send a shipment of vaccines to the country on Friday.
The Japanese government signed a contract with AstraZeneca PLC for 120 million doses this year and approved the vaccine last month. However, there are currently no plans for its use in the country, and the 240 million doses of the vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna that Japan has purchased are already more than enough for its population to achieve herd immunity.
Final arrangements for transport of the 1.2 million doses are currently underway, according to the news agency.
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