The Ministry of Health and Welfare yesterday launched a new pandemic response strategy to mark the government’s departure from a “zero COVID-19” policy.
The revised strategy — billed as the “new Taiwanese model” and authorized by Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) at a meeting earlier in the day — would no longer focus on total suppression, Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) told a news conference in Taipei.
The shift in priorities was prompted by the nature of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, which produces milder to no symptoms in infected people, to mitigate health risks to communities, reduce the burden on the medical system and maintain a normal life, Chuang cited Su as saying.
Photo: CNA
Only five people who have contracted COVID-19 this year developed moderate or severe symptoms, while 99.7 percent reported mild or no symptoms, Su said.
This means that health officials can shift gears to mitigating the effects of the pandemic, but the new model is not the same as “living with COVID-19,” as the virus would not be allowed to spread unchecked, Su said.
The strategy is to be implemented under the principle of allowing people to live normal lives, active prevention of the virus’ spread and a stable reopening of the economy, striking a balance between maintaining public health and economic well-being, he added.
Photo courtesy of the Tainan City Government
More incentives should also be offered to encourage people to take a third COVID-19 jab, he said, adding that the public’s ability to remain vigilant and take necessary measures to protect their health is a key part of the new model.
Meanwhile, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported 531 new cases of COVID-19 — 382 domestically transmitted and 149 imported.
The local case count exceeded 100 for the seventh consecutive day and was the highest daily number this year, breaking the previous high of 281 recorded on Wednesday.
New Taipei City had the most cases at 111, followed by Taipei with 87 and Kaohsiung with 59, the CECC said.
Of the 149 imported cases, 78 were travelers who tested positive on arrival, it said.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) announced plans to procure additional supplies of the antiviral COVID-19 drug Paxlovid from Pfizer.
While Paxlovid is hard to get hold of, the government plans to procure at least 100,000 more courses, Chen told a legislative committee meeting, adding that negotiations with Pfizer were ongoing.
Earlier this year, Taiwan signed a deal with Pfizer to procure 20,000 courses of Paxlovid, with the first batch — 3,200 courses — arriving on Jan. 27, Chen said, adding that about 15,000 courses have yet to be delivered.
Taiwan has ordered a combined total of 25,000 courses of Paxlovid and Molnupiravir from drugmaker Merck, he added.
The CECC is to hold discussions next week on guidelines for people with light symptoms to quarantine at home, Chen said.
There are several issues that need to be addressed before such a policy can be implemented, he said, citing as an example how patients can receive appropriate care during home quarantine.
Although Taiwan has a smart healthcare platform in place, providing remote health services on a large scale is an issue, he said.
LOYALTY: The 10 active and retired soldiers betrayed the nation and its people by leaking and passing on military secrets to China, the High Prosecutors’ Office said Ten former and current military officers were yesterday indicted on charges of spying for China, including two who allegedly filmed themselves pledging loyalty to Beijing. The High Prosecutors’ Office requested life imprisonment for the suspects in light of the severity of the crime. The 10 active-duty and retired officers included members of the 601st Brigade of the Aviation Special Forces comprising attack helicopter squadrons and elite combat units in charge of defending northern Taiwan, including Taipei. The other suspects came from Huadong Defense Command, in charge of defending the eastern coast; Kinmen Defense Command, in charge of defending Kinmen and Matsu; and one
NO FREE LUNCH: Taiwanese joining the trips to China met TAO and United Front Work officials who urged them to vote for candidates who support closer ties with Beijing The Ciaotou Prosecutors’ Office in Kaohsiung yesterday released two suspects on bail who have been accused of recruiting Taiwanese to join tours to China funded by Beijing and in which they were urged to vote for pan-blue candidates in January’s presidential and legislative elections. The pan-blue camp generally refers to the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), the People First Party, the New Party and the Young China Party, which support closer relations with China. Prosecutors said that a man, surnamed Cheng (鄭), and a woman, surnamed Yeh (葉), who are members of the China Pan-Blue Association, recruited Taiwanese tourists to join tours arranged
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday slammed a proposal by New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, to permit a “significant number” of Chinese students to study and work in Taiwan, saying it would be detrimental to young Taiwanese. At an event on Monday hosted by nine major industrial and business groups, Hou said that if elected, he would reinitiate cross-strait dialogue on the premise that Taiwan’s dignity would not be compromised and that the talks would be held in good faith. The talks would include lifting a ban on Chinese tour groups and
PEACE AND STABILITY: ‘Taiwan can be of tremendous value’ in building resilient supply chains, President Tsai Ing-wen said, as she encouraged closer ties with foreign businesses A Chinese invasion of Taiwan is unlikely for the time being due to the internal challenges and international pressure that China is facing, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) told the New York Times in an interview shown on Wednesday. “My thought is that perhaps this is not a time for them [China] to consider a major invasion of Taiwan,” Tsai said in a prerecorded interview for the DealBook Summit held by the newspaper on Wednesday. Beijing’s leadership is presently “overwhelmed by its internal challenges” on economic, financial and political grounds, while the international community “has made it loud and clear that war is
RSS