Obtaining a rapid HIV self-testing kit has become more convenient, with online orders now available for collection at local convenience stores, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said on Friday.
There are two types of rapid testing kits, one that tests saliva and the other blood, and people can purchase them at designated locations or have them sent to the convenience store of their choice, CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said.
Previously, the blood testing kit could only be bought at 408 designated locations nationwide, leaving the saliva kit as the only one available to be ordered online and collected at a convenience store, he said.
Photo provided by the Centers for Disease Control
The rapid self-testing kit costs NT$200, but there is an additional NT$45 charge for delivery to convenience store chains Family Mart, OK Mart or Hi Life, the centers said.
The rapid HIV testing kit can be purchased online at: otc.cdc.gov.tw.
Those who purchase the kit online would receive a free packet of condoms and lubricant, Chuang said, adding that the offer would be valid for purchases at any of the designated locations until June 30.
People who engage in unprotected sex should take an HIV test at least once every year, and those with multiple sex partners should take the test once every three to six months, the centers said.
Without treatment, an HIV infection develops into AIDS.
A total of 1,992 new cases of HIV were reported among Taiwanese last year, and there were 1,091 AIDS cases the same year, CDC statistics showed.
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
Taiwanese officials are courting podcasters and influencers aligned with US President Donald Trump as they grow more worried the US leader could undermine Taiwanese interests in talks with China, people familiar with the matter said. Trump has said Taiwan would likely be on the agenda when he is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) next week in a bid to resolve persistent trade tensions. China has asked the White House to officially declare it “opposes” Taiwanese independence, Bloomberg reported last month, a concession that would mark a major diplomatic win for Beijing. President William Lai (賴清德) and his top officials
The German city of Hamburg on Oct. 14 named a bridge “Kaohsiung-Brucke” after the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung. The footbridge, formerly known as F566, is to the east of the Speicherstadt, the world’s largest warehouse district, and connects the Dar-es-Salaam-Platz to the Brooktorpromenade near the Port of Hamburg on the Elbe River. Timo Fischer, a Free Democratic Party member of the Hamburg-Mitte District Assembly, in May last year proposed the name change with support from members of the Social Democratic Party and the Christian Democratic Union. Kaohsiung and Hamburg in 1999 inked a sister city agreement, but despite more than a quarter-century of
RSS