Respiratory diseases are common during the fall and winter as the temperature can drop dramatically at night. In addition to COVID-19, flu viruses are waiting in the wings. As a reminder from the Department of Public Health, government-funded influenza vaccinations are made available in two phases. The 1st phase vaccination started on October 1 and the 2nd phase vaccination will start on November 1. To avoid increasing the time waiting in line for a flu shot during the 2nd phase vaccination, the Department of Public Health encourages people who are eligible for the 1st phase vaccination but have not received a flu shot to get vaccinated against flu at the public health centers and contracted medical institutions near them with their NHI cards as early as possible so that they can be protected against the flu as soon as possible to reduce the risk of being infected with serious illness.
Direct Wang said that once groups at high risk for influenza get infected, the disease progresses rapidly, further demonstrating the importance of receiving vaccinations before a flu epidemic begins. There are 315,449 elderly people over 65 years of age in Taoyuan City, of which 104,149 have been vaccinated, with a vaccination rate of 33%. An appeal is made to the 11 groups who are eligible for the 1st phase vaccination to book a vaccination appointment as early as possible, including medical and pandemic prevention personnel, elderly people at the age of 65 or older, care recipients and staff at nursing, care, and long-term care (service) institutions, children from the age of over six months to under the starting age of elementary school, pregnant women, chronic disease patients at potential high risk, people with a BMI≧30 and with rare diseases and severe injuries/diseases, elementary-to-(vocational) high-school students/first-to-third-grade students in a five-year junior college program (in-school vaccination), the parents of infants under the age of six months, caregivers and professional personnel at kindergartens and child care institutions, and the people engaged in the livestock industry and animal health inspectors. People at the age of between 50 and 64 without high-risk chronic diseases are eligible for the 2nd phase vaccination that will start on November 1. They can visit the Department of Public Health’s website for the medical institutions contracted for influenza vaccinations in Taoyuan City and are encouraged to get vaccinated if possible.
The Central Epidemic Command Center reported 39,148 new confirmed local COVID-19 cases in Taiwan today (25th), of which 3,403 were in Taoyuan. The number of local confirmed cases in Taoyuan today grew by 15.04% as compared to that (2,958) of yesterday (24th). The cases over 65 years of age accounted for 8.49% and the cases under the age of 18 made up 22.74%.
As of October 25, Taoyuan City recorded 26,999 cases who were under homecare and an aggregate of 845,069 care cases, of which 841,810 were attended to, accounting for about 99.6%. There were 40 dedicated ICU beds in Taoyuan, of which 25 were occupied and 15 were vacant; 558 dedicated beds, of which 283 were occupied and 275 were vacant, with an occupation rate of roughly 50.7%, indicating that Taoyuan still has adequate medical capability.