Taiwan scrambles for vaccines as domestic Covid-19 cases rise

A healthcare frontline worker prepares people to get their rapid test following a surge of Covid-19) infections in Taipei, Taiwan on May 17, 2021. - Reuters

TAIPEI (Reuters): A surge of coronavirus infections in Taiwan, one of the world's Covid-19 mitigation success stories, has left it scrambling to get vaccines as its stock of 300,000 doses starts running out with only about 1% of its 23 million people vaccinated.

Taiwan has been a model of how to control the pandemic since it began and life had carried on almost as normal with none of the lockdowns and overwhelmed hospitals seen elsewhere, thanks largely to effective case tracking and closed borders.