US sends Taiwan 2.5 million vaccine doses, tripling pledge

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A plane with 2.5 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in Taiwan from the U.S. in a donation with both public health and geopolitical meaning. The China Airlines cargo flight touched down late Sunday afternoon. The donation more than triples an earlier U.S. pledge of 750 million doses for the self-governing island that is claimed by China. It signals Washington’s support for Taiwan in the face of growing pressure from China. Taiwan had been relatively unscathed by the virus. But it’s been caught off guard by a surge in new cases since May, and is now scrambling to get vaccines.