Southeast Asian countries ask Taiwan to prioritize vaccines for immigrants

Beijing, Jul 9 (EFE).- Representatives of four Southeast Asian countries urged Taiwan to prioritize vaccinating the immigrant community against Covid-19, local media reported Thursday night.

According to the statement, signed by representatives of official institutions of these countries on the island – which fulfill functions similar to those of an embassy – immigrant workers from Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand represent 36.5 percent, 34 percent, 21.1 percent and 8.2 percent of the foreign workforce in Taiwan.

Taiwan, which has a population of 23.8 million people, has more than 700,000 migrant workers, according to its Labor Ministry.

These workers are not specifically included in any of the priority categories of the vaccination campaign against Covid-19 prepared by the island’s Epidemiological Control Center, which gives priority to other groups such as the elderly and health workers.

The representatives asked in the declaration that the security of these communities be protected since “their vulnerability would affect the health of all the inhabitants of Taiwan and the social and economic well-being.”

In addition, signatories urged Taiwan to improve the working conditions of workers of these nationalities to minimize the impact of the pandemic.

Taiwan has been facing an outbreak since May that, to date, has left more than 13,800 cases and 706 deaths.

The island’s authorities reported Thursday that a batch with 410,000 doses of the vaccine for covid from the American pharmaceutical company Moderna is ready to be distributed. EFE

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