Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) yesterday urged the WHO to be honest as the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) published the e-mail it had sent to the world body in December last year alerting it about the risk of an outbreak in China.
The WHO on Friday said it received an e-mail from the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Dec. 31 last year, but added that “there was no mention in the message of human-to-human transmission.”
During a news conference at the CECC in Taipei yesterday, Chen read out the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) e-mail to the WHO International Health Regulations (IHR) Focal Point on Dec. 31 last year.
Photo: CNA
“News resources today indicate that at least seven atypical pneumonia cases were reported in Wuhan, China,” the e-mail read. “Their health authorities replied to the media that the cases were believed not SARS; however, the samples are still under examination, and cases have been isolated for treatment.”
“I would greatly appreciate it if you have relevant information to share with us. Thank you very much in advance for your attention to this matter,” it added.
China commonly uses the term “atypical pneumonia” to refer to SARS, but Chinese authorities had been ambiguous in describing the novel coronavirus as “an atypical pneumonia, but not SARS.”
“The e-mail specifically noted that patients had been isolated for treatment,” Chen said. “Any public health expert or medical professional would know what circumstances would require patients to be isolated for treatment.”
As there were no confirmed cases in Taiwan at the time, the CDC could not definitively state that there had been human-to-human transmission of the disease, he added.
“We would really be giving a misleading message if we firmly stated that there was human-to-human transmission, so we clearly alerted the IHR about the information we received,” he said.
“If our warning to the WHO that the patients were ‘isolated for treatment’ does not count as a warning, than what does?” Chen said.
“While Taiwan, a non-member state, has informed the WHO, I would like to ask whether China, a WHO member, had informed the WHO about the situation?” Chen said, adding that if China did not alert the WHO at the time, then it had been concealing the truth about COVID-19, and if China did alert the WHO, then the WHO has neglected its duty in warning the world.
Chen urged the WHO to be honest in dealing with the issue and stop trying to shift the focus.
The CECC in a news release said that the IHR Focal Point only responded with a short message stating that Taiwan’s information had been forwarded to experts.
Taiwan strongly suspected that human-to-human transmission was already occurring at the time, but could not confirm it, so enhanced border control and quarantine measures were implemented based on the assumption, including screening passengers on flights from Wuhan prior to disembarkation starting on Dec. 31 last year, the release said.
The CDC also sent experts to Wuhan in January to gain a better understanding of the outbreak, patients’ exposure history and the control measures taken there, it added.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft