Japan announced Friday it had shipped 1.24 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan, which has been struggling to procure its own supplies and blamed China for impeding shipments of the shots.
The gratis vaccine doses, developed by AstraZeneca PLC of Britain and manufactured domestically through licensed production, arrived at Taoyuan International Airport in northern Taiwan the same day, Taiwanese media reported. Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs offered its appreciation in a statement.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi reiterated that Taiwan has an urgent need for supplies of the vaccine as COVID-19 spreads and that domestic production is not set to be ramped up until July.