The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC), Ministry of Health and Welfare, today (October 1) held a media event titled "Let Us Stay Healthy Together" to kick off the 2021 government-funded influenza vaccination program. The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-Yuan, Taiwan CDC Director-General Chou Jih-haw, epidemic prevention campaign ambassador Tan Ai-chen and her daughter Ouyang Jing and grandson Hsin Chiang. At the event, Director-General Chou, ambassador Tan, and Hsin Chiang were inoculated first to call on individuals eligible for government-funded flu vaccines to be vaccinated against the flu as soon as possible in alignment with the vaccination schedule prior to the flu season, thereby protecting their own health and that of their family.

Deputy Minister Hsueh stated that the government continued to provide 6.32 million doses of the quadrivalent government-funded influenza vaccine this year (2021), covering roughly 27% of the entire population, and the protection of a flu shot will last for around one year; therefore, the public should be vaccinated on an annual basis. Moreover, a minimum interval of seven days between a flu shot and a COVID-19 vaccine is recommended. In addition to reducing the risk of influenza infection and the chance of severe flu illness, flu vaccination is effective in reducing the chance of severe COVID-19 illness. Meanwhile, Deputy Minister Hsueh expressed his gratitude to everyone for the cooperation with epidemic prevention measures and medical staff for their assistance and dedication since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic at the end of 2019. He hopes that everyone can continue to work collectively and stay healthy together.

According to ambassador Tan, she lives with her daughter and one-year-old grandson, and as she needs to go out often for TV and movie filming, she has frequent close contact with people at work. Therefore, she pays special attention to health and gets vaccinated against flu every year to protect herself and her family members. Ouyang Jing also said that this is the first time that her son has gotten vaccinated, and she, as a mother of one, calls on parents to bring their babies to get vaccinated against flu as the virus respects no age and gender; as such, they can feel the peace of mind and their children will stay healthy.

Taiwan CDC pointed out that this year's government-funded flu vaccination campaign will be launched in two stages. The first stage will begin on October 1, 2021, and the second stage on November 15, 2021. Except for adults aged 50-64 without high-risk chronic diseases who are scheduled to be vaccinated in the second stage, other members of the public are the target groups in the first stage. Influenza vaccination is the most effective way to prevent influenza. The average protection after vaccination is around 30–80%; the protection against hospitalization due to influenza is roughly 41%, and the protection against severe illness is up to 82%.

Taiwan CDC also reminds that there are about 4,000 contracted clinics and hospitals in Taiwan this year. People can search for a nearby contracted clinic/hospital through the websites of local health bureaus, the Taiwan CDC Anti-Flu website (https://antiflu.cdc.gov.tw/), or the Disease Control Butler, or call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Consultation Hotline at 1922 and then make an appointment with the clinic/hospital to ensure that they can be vaccinated as planned so that their waiting time in the line can be reduced. When people go to their vaccine appointment, they should bring their NHI Card and relevant documents (such as the Children's Health Manual or the Maternal Health Booklet), wear a mask, keep proper social distance from other people, and practice hand hygiene.