4 Die After Receiving Taiwan-Made COVID-19 Vaccine In Just 3 Days

Four people have died after receiving a locally made COVID-19 vaccine in Taiwan, which was first introduced Monday. The island's health ministry had authorized emergency use of the Medigen jab despite incomplete clinical trials.

A 56-year-old writer died Tuesday, a day after he was given the locally produced vaccine. Authorities say the writer, who was said to be from Taoyuan, fell unconscious the morning after he received the shot.

Paramedics found the man, identified by his surname Lu, without vital signs when they arrived at his residence. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital, officials at the city’s fire department said, according to Focus Taiwan. Lu was the first death recorded following the launch of the vaccination program.

Chen Shih-chung, the head of Taiwan’s health authority, said a preliminary check found that the writer died of myocardial infarction or heart attack.

Authorities did not share information about the three other deaths. They, however, noted that it is still unclear whether the four deaths reported within the first three days of the vaccine’s distribution were connected to the shots.

"In terms of science, it requires more data to analyze the connection between the vaccine and the deaths, such as the causes of the deaths and whether the deceased accepted the same batch of products," Zhuang Shilihe, an expert based in Guangzhou, told the Global Times.

The deaths come after Taiwan on Monday rolled out the Medigen vaccine developed by Taipei-based Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corporation. The drug received emergency use approval last month for anyone above the age of 20.

The vaccine, which is given in two doses at least 28 days apart, has not yet completed its phase 3 clinical trials. There is also no efficacy data available.

However, a phase 2 trial involving 3,800 participants found that the vaccine increased antibody levels against COVID-19 in 99.8% of its participants, Medigen’s CEO Charles Chen said, CNN reported.

Taiwan has been successful in containing the novel coronavirus, reporting less than 16,000 infections and 828 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. On Wednesday, health authorities recorded no new infections.

“We have finally recorded zero local cases today, which is happy news for all of us, but this does not mean we will have no more locally transmitted infections, and all we can say is that the situation in Taiwan has stabilized,” Health Minister Chen said, according to SCMP.

However, Taiwan has struggled to vaccinate its 23 million residents. The government has only managed to inoculate 5% of its population, partly due to difficulties in obtaining vaccine doses from international suppliers.