Based on the discussion at the 4th meeting of the Advisory Committee on Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (ACIP) of the Ministry of Health and Welfare on December 9, 2025, considering that winter is the peak season for respiratory infectious diseases, and that the subsequent Lunar New Year holiday will see frequent family visits and travel, increasing the risk of COVID-19 transmission, and that it takes about two weeks for antibodies to develop after vaccination, it was decided to expand the scope of publicly funded COVID-19 vaccination to "people who have not been vaccinated for more than 6 months" from January 1 to February 28, 2026, in order to improve public immunity and reduce the risk of severe complications and death after infection.