Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control logged 395,000 publicly funded COVID-19 vaccinations in the first five days of the autumn campaign, while flu shots topped 1.06 million in the same window—prompting health teams to extend pop-up desk hours at Taipei Main Station before Double-Ten holiday travel.
Campaign pace
The joint flu and COVID program began Oct. 1. By Oct. 5, uptake for both vaccines exceeded last year’s comparable period, the CDC said. Seniors aged 65 and older showed about a 10 percent year-on-year increase in flu coverage, with 660,000 doses in the opening days.
COVID outpatient visits fell 26.7 percent week over week, but officials stress the virus remains in circulation alongside a heavy flu season dominated by H1N1.
Why the rail hub
Taipei Main Station mixes commuters, tour groups, and high-speed rail transfers—exactly the crowding pattern epidemiologists worry about when families scatter for long weekends. Extended desk hours aim to catch travelers who missed clinic appointments during workdays.
Station managers coordinated queue space with Taiwan Railways and metro operators to keep aisles clear for luggage flows. Volunteers hand out Mandarin and English leaflets on the two-week window needed for vaccine protection to peak.
Clinical picture
Between Sept. 29 and Oct. 5, Taiwan reported 37 new severe COVID-19 cases and 16 domestic deaths, alongside 219 severe flu cases and 44 flu deaths—the highest weekly flu fatality count in a year, according to CDC briefings covered by Focus Taiwan.
Officials urge high-risk groups, especially those with chronic illness, to complete both shots before gatherings. Co-administration is allowed at contracted clinics when supply permits.
Operational tips for travelers
Bring National Health Insurance cards, wear short sleeves for faster jabs, and expect longer lines after 4 p.m. when office workers stop by. Appointments are not always required at pop-ups, but clinic slots via the CDC portal reduce wait times in outlying counties.
If you already received a 2025-26 COVID dose, check eligibility rules for the new season before assuming you are covered for holiday travel.
Broader public-health goal
Extended station hours are a tactical move in a season where hospitals want to avoid simultaneous COVID and flu admissions straining pediatric and geriatric wards. The numbers show demand is there; the bottleneck is logistics, not vaccine hesitancy, during peak mobility weeks.
County clinics
Outside Taipei, county health bureaus report steady walk-in traffic at contract clinics in Taoyuan and Kaohsiung, where night markets reopen for the holiday. CDC dashboards update outpatient influenza-like illness counts each Tuesday; planners use those releases to decide whether to open additional weekend desks after the break.