CORONAVIRUS/CDC says doubts over Medigen vaccine's safety 'seriously wrong'

Taipei, Jan. 3 (CNA) An ex-Kuomintang (KMT) lawmaker cited "seriously wrong" information to support claims the Taiwan-made Medigen COVID-19 vaccine is unsafe, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, former KMT lawmaker Alex Tsai (蔡正元) described the Medigen vaccine as "not only ineffective but also dangerous," based on the findings of a 2015 paper in "Frontiers in Neurology."

According to Tsai, the 2015 paper found that aluminum adjuncts, such as those used in the Medigen vaccine, could pose a risk of neurotoxic damage.

Responding to Tsai's post, CDC Deputy Director General Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞) said Wednesday it was "basic knowledge in vaccinology" that aluminum adjuncts, commonly used in vaccines over 60 years, were safe.

Lo, an epidemiologist and infectious disease physician, described the evidence cited by Tsai as coming from a "predatory journal," referring to pay-to-play publications that only superficially review articles.

In a statement issued later on Wednesday, the CDC said that Tsai's argument questioning the safety of aluminum adjuvants was based on "seriously wrong" information.

According to the CDC, aluminum adjuvants, which are mainly used to trigger, prolong, or enhance the immune response following vaccine administration to boost its protection, were declared safe by the World Health Organization in 2012.

Aluminum adjuvants are also found in Hepatitis A and B shots, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and HPV vaccine, as well as COVID-19 shots manufactured by Chinese pharmaceutical companies such as Sinovac Biotech and Sinopharm, the CDC added.