Taiwan could get 9 million doses of COVID - 19 vaccine this year

TAIPEI, Sept 6 Reuters - Taiwan could get up to 9 million doses of BioNTech SE's COVID - 19 vaccine this year, said the founder of Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn on Monday, laying out a delivery timetable for a vaccine order that became heavily politicised. China had called off China, which claims the island as its own territory, for refusing an original order to the German firm this year - charges Beijing has angrily denied.

Taiwan's government then allowed major Apple Inc supplier Foxconn - formally Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd - as well as its high-profile billionaire founder Terry Gou, along with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd, to negotiate on its behalf for the doses.

The first batch of BioNTech shots arrived last week. A Taiwanese Buddhist group had also ordered 5 million shots with government approval.

Gou said on his Facebook Page that the third batch of vaccines should be there before the end of the week, with the second batch arriving in the middle - of the month.

It is estimated 700,000 to 800,000 doses per week will come as weekly arrivals, so the target of 8 - 9 million doses this year will be reached as soon as possible, but we are also working hard to get more to Taiwan this year, he added.

BioNTech had not immediately responded to a request for comment.

Gou was not able to welcome the first batch at the airport because he had returned from a trip to Europe after being in quarantine.

He said that at the moment there were no plans for him to receive the second batch in person to avoid dragging in lots of people Taiwan is receiving the shots, jointly developed with Pfizer Inc, earlier than expected as a delay in regulatory approval of the shot for use in mainland China made a surplus available for the island. The vaccine is approved for use in Chinese owned Hong Kong and Macau.

Taiwan's COVID -19 Pandemic is well under control, with a vaccination programme running smoothly, though only around 5% of the population are fully inoculated. Reporting by Simon Cameron-Moore; Editing by Ben Blanchard.