How to choose the 2024 new crown vaccine? "This kind of people" need 2 doses of vaccination! What vaccinations should be completed before returning home or going abroad?
The New Year is approaching, and in the face of the surge in people and cars, in addition to proactively taking anti-epidemic measures such as washing hands frequently and wearing masks, vaccination of relevant vaccines is also crucial for vulnerable groups! The Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare, Centers for Disease Control recently issued a press release stating that in response to serious community infections caused by COVID-19, influenza and other germs, the public should actively get vaccinated to obtain the most immediate protection.
The new coronavirus epidemic is spreading again! What’s the difference between Moderna and Novavax vaccines?
Taiwan Centers for Disease Control stated that the current COVID-19 epidemic in Taiwan continues and is in an epidemic period. As the Lunar New Year is approaching, the frequency of crowd gathering and movement is increasing, and the risk of virus transmission is still high. In the first 4 days of last week (1/29-2/1), the number of COVID-19 XBB vaccinations was 130,000, an increase of 31% compared with the same period last week. It also hit a new high for the same period since the start of the campaign at the end of September 2023, showing that people’s willingness to vaccinate has not decreased but has increased.
A total of 1.584 million COVID-19 XBB vaccines have been vaccinated so far, including a total of 1.427 million “Modena” XBB vaccines and a total of 157,000 “Novavax” XBB vaccines. In addition, the last batch of 165,000 doses of Novavax XBB vaccine that arrived recently has been distributed to various counties and cities for vaccination today. The supply of Moderna XBB vaccine is safe. We call on the public to prioritize vaccination as soon as possible to obtain protection in time. May family and friends spend a happy new year together in health and safety.
The mutant strain “JN.1” has become the mainstream mutant strain. XBB vaccine can protect nearly 50% of the risk of mild disease.
Taiwan Centers for Disease Control emphasized that the international COVID-19 epidemic is on the rise, and the mutant strain “JN.1” has become the mainstream mutant strain recently. In the past four weeks, the majority of virus strains detected in Taiwan’s local cases have also been JN.1. Since the launch of the COVID-19 XBB vaccine last year, more than 98% of local cases and deaths have not been vaccinated against the COVID-19 XBB vaccine.
In addition, according to the latest research published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on February 1, vaccination of adults over 18 years old with the COVID-19 XBB vaccine can effectively improve immune protection against JN.1, with a protective effect of up to 50% against mild cases of JN.1. (49%). Both Moderna and Novavax are safe and effective. People over 12 years old can choose one brand for vaccination. Children over 6 months old to 11 years old can only receive the Moderna XBB vaccine according to approved indications. People who have not yet received the COVID-19 XBB vaccine are reminded to complete the vaccination as soon as possible before the Lunar New Year.
89% of flu deaths are not vaccinated! What brands of publicly funded influenza vaccines are available?
In addition to the new coronavirus, many people are also infected with the influenza virus and suffer adverse reactions and severe symptoms. Taiwan Centers for Disease Control stated that between January 16 and 22, there were 30 new cases of severe influenza complications (5 cases of type A H1N1, 22 cases of type A H3N2, and 3 cases of type B), ranging in age from under 10 years old to Over 80 years old, 20 of whom had not received influenza vaccination; 5 additional deaths (4 cases of type A H3N2, 1 case of untyped type A), ranging in age from their 20s to their 80s, 3 of which had not been vaccinated Flu vaccine.
During this flu season from October 1, 2023 to January 22 this year, there have been a total of 365 cases of severe influenza complications. Most of the age groups are elderly people over 65 years old (approximately 59%), 86% of whom have not received influenza vaccination; deaths 89% of the 55 cases had not received influenza vaccination. Recently, the number of notifications of serious complications from influenza has increased. The public is urged to be more vigilant. If there are dangerous signs such as difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, cyanosis (hypoxia), etc., they should seek medical treatment as soon as possible and follow the instructions to take medication to reduce the risk of serious complications.
Taiwan Centers for Disease Control calls on parents to take precautions to prevent respiratory infections in children, as we are still in the winter vacation period, and the flu epidemic has increased recently and the number of severe cases has increased. People who are eligible for public-funded influenza vaccination are asked to get vaccinated as soon as possible and be sure to practice good hand hygiene. and cough etiquette, and implement measures such as washing hands frequently, wearing a mask if you have fever, cough and other flu-like symptoms, and resting at home when you are sick. Especially those who are at high risk of influenza, such as the elderly over 65 years old, infants and young children, high-risk chronic patients, and pregnant women, should pay special attention to their health conditions.
When traveling abroad during the Chinese New Year, beware of the raging “measles” epidemic! Children should be vaccinated as soon as possible after reaching this age
In addition to returning home to visit relatives during the Chinese New Year, many people also arrange travel during the Spring Festival. Taiwan Centers for Disease Control stated that the global “measles” epidemic has increased recently, and many countries have severe epidemics. Measles is highly contagious and can be spread through the air. It is easily spread through international exchanges such as traveling, visiting relatives, and doing business. The public is reminded to avoid taking infants and young children under 1 year old and who have not completed MMR vaccination to endemic areas to reduce the risk of infection.
Taiwan Centers for Disease Control reminds you to pay attention to hand hygiene when traveling abroad. It is recommended to wear a mask when entering public places or crowded places, and pay attention to personal hygiene behaviors such as respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette. If you need medical treatment locally, please Masks should be worn at all times when seeking medical treatment in hospitals or clinics. If you develop fever, rash, cough, rhinitis, conjunctivitis and other suspected symptoms after returning to your country, please wear a mask and seek medical attention as soon as possible and inform the doctor of your relevant travel history.
Taiwan Centers for Disease Control explained that according to monitoring data from the World Health Organization, the epidemic in Europe was severe in 2023, with a total of at least 42,605 cases reported in the region throughout the year, an increase of 45 times compared to the previous year (937 cases). Among them, the epidemic in West Asia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and other countries has increased since the middle of the year, and after October it gradually spread to Eastern Europe, Azerbaijan, Romania and other countries.
Taiwan Centers for Disease Control emphasizes that although there have been no confirmed cases of local measles in Taiwan since September 2022, as the international epidemic situation heats up, there is still a risk of measles infection from tourists and overseas immigrants. In particular, measles in infants and young children may be complicated by otitis media, pneumonia and encephalitis. , the fatality rate can be as high as 5-10% in infants or immunocompromised children. Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent measles. If you have children over 1 year old at home, please go to a health center or vaccination contract facility as soon as possible to receive the measles, mumps, and rubella mixed vaccine (MMR), and avoid bringing children under the age of 1 Children aged 1 year or who have not been vaccinated with MMR travel to endemic areas.
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