U.S. sends 2.5 mil COVID vaccine doses to Taiwan

The number of shots is about three times as many as announced during the U.S. delegation visit to Taiwan. Taipei has accused Beijing of hampering its efforts to secure enough doses.

It's about saving people's lives - complaining about this would be beyond the pale

Depending on which shots are sent, that is enough for either 10% or 5% of the island's population. Undoubtedly, many lives will be saved because of this gesture.

I find it disappointing that China would create a stink over this move. China has been sending their much less effective vaccines to Latin America, and the USA has not complained that they are encroaching in our backyard. The only complaint I have with the Chinese vaccines is that their efficacy rate in the real world is less than 50%, and many of those who get sick after getting vaccinated get very sick, unlike with the Western vaccines.

Apparently Xi never heard of the old saying about honey, vinegar, and bees.

Chile has a very high vaccination rate with the Chinese Sinovac. In Chile, after people got the first dose of Sinovac, death rates increased. So did hospitalizations from COVID. After 1 dose, Sinovac is 16% effective against COVID.

67% effective 2 weeks after the 2nd dose.

80% effective at preventing death once fully vaccinated.

Ref: https://www.wsj.com/articles/first-dose-of-chinese-covid-19-vaccine-offers-little-protection-chile-learns-11618775502

According to the article, Chileans incorrectly thought that 1 dose provided most of the protection and many resumed dangerous activities allowed by the govt. When it comes to vaccinations, the details matter.

"Thank you to the #US for this moving gesture of friendship. These vaccines will go a long way toward keeping #Taiwan safe & healthy," Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen wrote on Twitter.

Happy my taxes are going to a good cause.

The world is benefitting greatly from Trumps Operation Warp Speed program to develop the covid vaccines.

zichiToday  06:02 pm JST

There is no way to know how many vaccine doses Trump would have donated to any country. Probably zero unless they overpaid for them.

The vaccines were developed by the pharma companies.

??????????????

The vaccine doses exist because of Trump's program. That is the point. And that we do know.

We always knew the Americans would start donating vaccines to other countries, as soon as they got their own horrible caseload down. That's the way the Americans are - always generous with their foreign aid.

"Wheels up! Our donation of 2.5 million vaccine doses is on the way to Taiwan," State Department spokesman Ned Price wrote in a tweet.

Those are 2.5 million doses that poor and minority Americans will not receive now that biden has decided to give up on Americans.

First we have this comment:

We always knew the Americans would start donating vaccines to other countries, as soon as they got their own horrible caseload down. That's the way the Americans are - always generous with their foreign aid.

Followed by this comment:

Those are 2.5 million doses that poor and minority Americans will not receive now that biden has decided to give up on Americans.

I don't think any Americans will go without a vaccine by donating these to Taiwan. There are vaccine doses sitting all across America going unused due to individual refusal to be vaccinated. Those vaccine refusers have no one to blame but themselves. It is free and widely available in the US. I would personally rather see those doses get used in the US but if Americans are refusing to be vaccinated then give them to Taiwan. This helps a dear friend and ally and makes the CCP looks stingy and mean spirited. Works for me.

Delivery of US vaccines to Taiwan a palpable political ploy?

Madam Tsai has been dreamy and hapless all this while, she does not appear to know what is exactly going on outside Taiwan. She has encaged herself via her own doing..

Continuing to plod shakily under the long dark shadow of US, she is slowly mortgaging the island to the superrich perhaps even without any clear understanding.

Would she ever wakeup?