No new COVID-19 cases were reported yesterday, marking the 28th day with no domestic cases reported in the nation, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said yesterday.
“Today is also Mother’s Day, so we would like to present our record of no domestic cases having been reported in 28 consecutive days as a gift for all mothers, hoping that everyone can feel safer,” said Chen, who heads the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
However, people should not let their guard down and should thoroughly practice the “new disease prevention lifestyle” to achieve an even higher level of safety, he said.
Photo: CNA
“Our successful disease prevention performance against COVID-19 is attributed to the efforts of everyone living in Taiwan, as well as cooperation among the central and local governments,” he added.
The number of confirmed cases in Taiwan remains at 440, of whom 366 have been removed from isolation after recovering, Chen said.
With the hard work of healthcare professionals, Taiwan has achieved an 83 percent recovery rate for COVID-19, compared with a global average of 34 percent, he said.
The death rate of COVID-19 in Taiwan is about 0.3 per million population, against a global average of 36 per million population, he added.
Chen also said that people can preorder masks for children aged four or younger through the government’s online platforms or at convenience stores from Monday to Wednesday next week, and pick them up at convenience stores from May 25 to June 7.
The masks’ dimensions are 12.7cm by 8cm, he added.
The masks currently being sold at designated pharmacies, convenience stores, and on the government’s eMask Web site and Express mobile app are for adults and children aged four to eight.
The government on April 23 decided to supply smaller masks in response to complaints from parents nationwide about having difficulty finding masks for younger children.
Parents need to provide the details of their children’s National Health Insurance cards to buy the small masks, the CECC said.
A man surnamed Feng (馮) in New Taipei City has said that the children’s masks currently available are too big for his daughter and cover her entire face, adding that he has had to cut holes in the masks so that she could see when wearing a mask.
Another parent, surnamed Hung (洪), said that he visited 14 pharmacies, but could only find masks for older children, which are as big as adult masks.
Additional reporting by CNA
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