Most people do not need to rely on surgical masks to prevent contracting 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said on Thursday, after reports that convenience stores had run out.
Chen, who is an epidemiologist by training, said that people with no symptoms of upper respiratory infection and fever can decide about wearing a mask depending on how likely they are to be exposed to the virus.
In Taiwan, potential exposure is most likely in three scenarios, he said.
Photo: CNA
First is from exposure to people who have tested positive for the virus, Chen said.
However, they have been placed in isolation, so they do not pose a public risk, he said.
Second, the virus can be passed on by those who have contracted it, but have not begun to display symptoms, he said.
Most commonly, these are people who have been in close contact with confirmed 2019-nCoV patients, such as family members and colleagues, or people who have returned from China’s Hubei Province, the epicenter of the outbreak, he said.
This group is subject to digital monitoring and compulsory home confinement for 14 days, which means the chance of being infected by them is low, Chen said.
Third, the virus can be transmitted via droplets from an infected person’s respiratory tract, he said.
However, it is unlikely for people to become infected if places that infected people have been are disinfected, he said.
People can be divided into nine groups according to how likely they are to come into contact with the virus, which guides whether a mask is necessary, Chen said.
Medical professionals are the first group and they are the most likely to be exposed to the virus, he said.
The second group is family members of people with 2019-nCoV, and the third, those who have been in frequent contact with an infected person, such as close friends and colleagues, he said.
The fourth group is public transport workers; the fifth is employees of enclosed entertainment venues; the sixth is people who have visited a hospital; the seventh people who use public transport, the eighth is customers at enclosed entertainment venues; and the ninth any who do not fit in the first eight categories, Chen said.
The list is intended to prevent undue panic and to allow masks to be used more efficiently, he said.
For the average healthy person, masks are not necessary to prevent 2019-nCoV infection, while the likelihood of contracting the disease remains relatively low, he said.
Seven of the 17 NT$10 million (US$311,604) winning receipts from the November-December uniform invoice lottery remain unclaimed as of today, the Ministry of Finance said, urging winners to redeem their prizes by May 5. The reminder comes ahead of the release of the winning numbers for the January-February lottery tomorrow. Among the unclaimed receipts was one for a NT$173 phone bill in Keelung, while others were for a NT$5,913 purchase at Costco in Taipei's Neihu District (內湖), a NT$49 purchase at a FamilyMart in New Taipei City's Tamsui District (淡水), and a NT$500 purchase at a tea shop in New Taipei City's
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
TALENT SCOUTING: The university is investing substantial funds in its future to bring in the kind of researchers that would keep the college internationally competitive National Taiwan University (NTU) plans to invest NT$2 billion (US$62.6 million) to launch two programs aimed at attracting and retaining top research talent, university president Chen Wen-chang (陳文章) said yesterday. The funding would support the “Palm Grove Scholars Project,” which targets academics aged 40 to 55. Up to 20 scholars would be selected, each receiving as much as NT$10 million annually, Chen said. The initiative is designed to attract leading researchers to Taiwan and strengthen NTU’s global competitiveness by fostering a more research-friendly environment and expanding international collaboration, he said. NTU is also introducing a “Hong Hu” chair grant, which would provide Palm
RSS