Taiwan Covid-19 vaccine shortage: Foxconn’s Terry Gou and Buddhist group offer jabs

Gou applies to import 5 million BioNTech doses and Buddha’s Light 500,000 Johnson & Johnson shots, while authorities say other groups also offer to donate

332 new infections and 13 deaths reported on Tuesday as island battles latest outbreak

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Taiwan’s Covid-19 vaccine shortage has prompted the Buddha’s Light International Association and others to offer donations of doses. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 2:13pm, 1 Jun 2021Updated: 9:55pm, 1 Jun 2021

Taiwan’s Covid-19 vaccine shortage could be eased by plans by Foxconn billionaire Terry Gou and one of the island’s largest religious groups to donate 5.5 million doses between them of World Health Organization-approved jabs.

Health authorities reported 332 new infections on Tuesday – 262 new local cases, five new imported cases and 65 cases delayed by a reporting backlog – bringing Taiwan’s total since the pandemic started to 8,842, with 137 deaths, including 13 new deaths.

Gou plans to import 5 million doses of BioNTech’s vaccine directly from Germany for donation, according to Chen Tsung-yen, deputy commander of the Central Epidemic Command Centre.

The Buddha’s Light International Association, an affiliate of Fo Guang Shan Monastery, based in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, has submitted documents to the Taiwanese health ministry expressing its intent to apply for the import of 500,000 doses of US firm Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, also for donation to the island’s government.

“We twice held meetings with the representative of Fo Guang Shan on Monday to discuss the issue and we would do our best to assist them,” Chen said on Tuesday.