Taiwan's president leads way in first domestic COVID-19 vaccine

A nurse administers a dose of Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp's coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine, a domestically developed vaccine against the disease, for Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen at National Taiwan University Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan August 23, 2021. REUTERS/Annabelle Chih

TAIPEI (Reuters) -President Tsai Ing-wen got vaccinated with Taiwan's first domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, giving her personal stamp of approval as the island begins rolling out the shot whose approval critics say has been rushed.

The health ministry last month approved the emergency use of Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp's COVID-19 vaccine, part of a broader plan for inoculation self-sufficiency as delays in vaccine deliveries from global drug companies have affected Taiwan and many other countries.