Taipei and New Taipei to begin vaccinating high school students Wednesday

台北和新北高中生禮拜三開始接種疫苗

Students allowed to take three days of vaccination leave, which can be extended


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei and New Taipei will begin to administer the Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT) vaccine to about 300,000 high school students on Wednesday (Sept. 22).

Taipei Department of Education Deputy Commissioner Chen Su-hui (陳素慧) told CNA on Tuesday that there are about 148,760 junior, senior high school, and five-year college students in the city, including students in special education and international schools.

As vaccination is not mandatory, students will have the opportunity to receive doses on campus, Chen said. He urged students opting in to show up well-rested and with a full stomach and their National Health Insurance cards.

Students are allowed to take three days of vaccination leave, which can be extended if necessary, the deputy commissioner said. The leave will not be included in attendance records.

Except for junior high school students, who are slated to receive their doses from Sept. 30 to Oct. 6, all other eligible students in the city will receive the shots from Wednesday to Sept. 29

With regard to elementary school students aged 12 years or older, the department encouraged parents to register them on the 1922 platform.

The New Taipei Department of Health said a total of 24 hospitals and clinics will go to schools to vaccinate about 152,048 students beginning Wednesday.

New Taipei Education Department official Wei Chia-yu (魏佳瑜) said the administration of the vaccine will begin with senior high school students and then move to younger kids, while schools will engage students in online learning at home for two days following their completion of the vaccination drives.