Taiwan adds enhanced flu vaccines to public programme for older care-home residents

Taiwan has added enhanced flu vaccines to its publicly funded programme for the first time, with 200,000 doses prioritised for people aged 65 and older living in long-term care and nursing facilities. The doses will become available when the first phase of the annual flu and COVID-19 vaccination campaign begins on 1 October.

Enhanced vaccines are designed to address the weaker immune response that can accompany ageing. The formulations either contain four times as much antigen as a standard dose or use an adjuvant, an ingredient that helps stimulate immunity. Clinical trial findings and international recommendations cited by Taiwan’s health authorities indicate that these vaccines produce a stronger immune response and offer 25 to 30 percent more protection against severe flu than standard formulations.

The rollout targets a group that bears much of the country’s serious flu burden. Of 1,224 severe cases recorded this season, 64.6 percent were among people aged 65 or above, while 82.8 percent involved people with chronic conditions. Nearly seven in ten had not received the current season’s flu vaccine.

Taiwan’s health agency describes the purchase as an Asian first for a public vaccination programme. The wider first phase also covers older adults outside care facilities and other high-risk groups, who may receive flu and COVID-19 vaccines at the same appointment.