Public health experts call for high booster shot coverage as Taiwan border restrictions ease

隨著台灣邊境管制放寬，公共衛生專家呼籲提高加強注射覆蓋率

It is time to learn to coexist with COVID-19 with more humane disease containment methods


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Leading Taiwanese and American public health professionals are calling for higher booster dose coverage as Taiwan mulls over the relaxation of COVID rules, noting unvaccinated seniors are more likely to be hospitalized if the iron curtain of COVID-19 border controls are lifted.

The call coincides with an announcement on Tuesday (April 12) that relatives of Taiwanese citizens and foreign residents, with the exception of migrant workers, can begin applying for a visitor visa.

In a forum hosted by TVBS on Wednesday (April 13) that gathered the most influential public health experts from Taiwan and the United States, Dr. Michael Lu (呂淳祺), the dean of UC Berkeley School of Public Health, lauded Taiwan for its early and effective epidemic response. However, he expressed worries that even today, nearly half of Taiwanese seniors remain unvaccinated. Lu promoted a gradual and cautious approach to easing restrictions as this group is vulnerable to infection and the predominant variant, Omicron, is highly transmissible.

In addition to advocating for high levels of vaccination coverage, the Taiwanese American physician also recommended expanding screening facilities and test kit accessibility as Taiwan plans to ease restrictions.

Dr. Chan Chang-chuan (詹長權), a professor at the College of Public Health at National Taiwan University, said that Taiwan, as an export-reliant economy, will inevitably open the border when its trade counterparts lift cross-border restrictions in order to boost growth. Against this backdrop, people need to have a pragmatic mindset that a "zero-infection strategy" is unattainable and Taiwan needs to prepare itself to coexist with the virus.

Measures like promoting increased COVID-19 vaccination rates and tackling vaccine hesitancy among seniors, allowing patients with mild COVID-19 symptoms to recover at home, and building evidence-based communication with people as well as guidelines for local governments are necessary to address the post-pandemic challenges, Chang advised.

"Recovery-at-home" for those with mild COVID symptoms should be complemented by a National Health Insurance plan that covers medication in addition to telemedicine to help foster peace of mind among patients, Chang suggested. At the same time, the country's medical institutions should dedicate resources to patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 symptoms.

Dr. Jason Wang (王智弘), professor of pediatrics and health policy at Standford University, advocates expanding vaccination coverage to young children as well as seniors, adding that mask-wearing is necessary when visiting crowded areas.

Academia Sinica epidemiologist Dr. Ho Mei-shang (何美鄉) expects that the single-day case count in Taiwan will continue to spike but those who receive a 3rd dose would suffer only light symptoms thanks to a higher level of antibody responses in infected individuals.

She also cited scientific data demonstrating that those infected with Omicron after completing three shots ended up experiencing only mostly mild symptoms and had stronger levels of antibodies against other predominant variants. Accordingly, Ho advised not to be overly obsessed with the number of infections but to learn to coexist with the virus with more humane disease containment methods.