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(Adds AstraZeneca declining comment)
TAIPEI, June 10 (Reuters) - Taiwan discussed with
AstraZeneca Plc producing its COVID-19 vaccine but the
talks fell through as the government felt it could not produce
the 300 million shots the company requested, Health Minister
Chen Shih-chung said on Thursday.
Taiwan has been striving to speed up deliveries of 20
million vaccine doses it has ordered from overseas, including
from AstraZeneca and Moderna Inc, as it battles a spike
in domestic infections.
Only around 3% of Taiwan's 23.5 million people have received
at least one shot so far, with further supplies held up by
global production problems.
Taking lawmaker questions in parliament, Chen said the
government had talked with AstraZeneca about producing 100
million doses on the firm's behalf, but the company had said it
had hoped for a minimum of 300 million doses.
"We considered that it would be difficult, and would fully
occupy production lines. It's not possible for Taiwan to consume
so much," he said.
AstraZeneca declined to comment.
Chen said on Tuesday that production problems at
AstraZeneca's Thailand plant would delay deliveries.
On Saturday, he said Taiwan was in talks with U.S. companies
about making their COVID-19 vaccines, though he did not name
them.
Taiwan has also ordered 10 million domestically developed
vaccines from two local firms.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Stephen Coates and
Peter Graff)
