The Central Epidemics Command Center (CECC) yesterday confirmed another three cases of Tamiflu-resistant A(H1N1) influenza, but said that the virus had not spread.
“The most important thing is that all these patients have fully recovered,” said Chang Shan-chwen (張上淳), deputy minister for the Department of Health.
Chang said that the three patients included a five-year-old girl and a two-year-old girl in Taipei and a 12-year-old girl in Taichung. Physicians could not confirm whether the three girls were infected by Tamiflu-resistant virus or if the virus went through a mutation process in them.
The deputy minister said that there have been a total of 55 instances of Tamiflu-resistant A(H1N1) in the world and five of them had occurred in Taiwan.
“We have yet to consider potential changes in our Tamiflu policy at the moment,” Chang said.
SOLDIERS
Meanwhile, the military said that approximately 4,000 doses of swine flu vaccine, which will be delivered in the near future, will be given to soldiers who have helped or are helping victims of Typhoon Morakot with reconstruction.
“These soldiers will be the priority, followed by military health workers,” said Lin Yao-hsiang (林曜祥), deputy director of the Military Medical Bureau’s Medical Affairs Department.
NEXT IN LINE
Pilots, sailors and military personnel who work in an interior environment will be next in line for shots after military health workers.
Military personnel under the age of 18 will be the fourth priority, followed by soldiers aged up to 24 years old, and then those aged between 25 and 49. Those older than 50 will be the last priority group for the vaccine.
ROLE MODEL
Lin made his remarks during a press conference at the Ministry of National Defense yesterday morning, when he was awarded and recognized as a healthcare role model.
“We are expecting the swine flu vaccines to be delivered to us no later than tomorrow,” he said. “Once we receive the vaccines, we will put them to use immediately.”
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) hosted a dinner in Taipei last night with key Taiwanese suppliers to celebrate the successful mass production of the company’s new Blackwell AI systems. Speaking to the media earlier yesterday, Huang thanked Nvidia’s Taiwanese partners for their contributions to the company’s ecosystem, while also sharing his plans to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀). In response to rumors that Nvidia will launch a downgraded Hopper H20 chip for China in July, Huang dismissed the reports, saying, “That is not true.” He clarified that there
RSS