COVID-19 is to be reclassified as a Category 4 notifiable communicable disease on Monday next week and the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) is to be disbanded on the same day, the CECC said yesterday.
After the center is disbanded, the Ministry of Health and Welfare is to carry out COVID-19-related response operations, it said.
Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝), who heads the center, said that after Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) visited the CECC yesterday afternoon, he has agreed to reclassify COVID-19 and allow the center to be disbanded on Monday next week.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
Monday next week marks the 1,197th day the center has been in operation, it said.
COVID-19 has become a flu-like illness, in terms of decreased rates of incidence, serious complications and deaths, so border control measures and restrictions have gradually been removed since last year, Wang said.
As its key operations have become normalized, the center suggested the disbandment, he said.
The ministry is to set up a COVID-19 supervisory task force to carry out follow-up prevention and response measures, form a specialist advisory panel and continue to work with related ministries in response to new emerging threats, he added.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), who is the CECC spokesman, said the four main tasks of the supervisory task force and specialist advisory panel would include “disease surveillance,” providing government-funded vaccinations, maintaining government-funded antivirals for vulnerable groups with mild symptoms, COVID-19 recovery clinics and hospitalized treatment for moderate-to-severe cases.
Other “response measures” include maintenance and storage of personal protective equipment, and opening designated wards or quarantine centers if hospitalization rates increase, Lo said.
Since the rationing scheme for rapid COVID-19 test kits began on April 28 last year, selling more than 75.25 million kits as of April 13, sales have significantly dropped and there is sufficient supply in the market, so the rationing scheme would end on Sunday, he said.
People can still buy rapid test kits at pharmacies, cosmetics stores, convenience stores or supermarkets from Monday next week, he added.
As emergency use authorizations for COVID-19-related products would be terminated along with the CECC’s disbandment, Lo said only 51 types of COVID-19 examination devices or kits have a deadline on the disbandment date, while vaccines, antivirals and 223 other types of examination devices or kits would not be affected.
CDC Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said that vaccinations would continue to be provided at contracted healthcare facilities and vaccination stations, but starting from Monday next week, healthcare facilities could charge a registration fee.
The masking restrictions at healthcare and long-term care facilities and in ambulances would continue until May 30, but could be extended, Chuang said.
People can access COVID-19-related information on the CDC’s Web site, Facebook page, Line account, the social distancing mobile app and the 1922 hotline, he said.
The final CECC news conference is to be held tomorrow afternoon, Wang said.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, yesterday held an equipment installation ceremony for its first 2-nanometer fab in Kaohsiung, six months ahead of schedule, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said. “To cope with the strong global demand for advanced chips, TSMC is to start moving in equipment for its first-ever 2-nanometer fab half a year earlier than scheduled,” Chen said at an question-and-answer session at the Kaohsiung City Council. TSMC’s 2-nanometer process technology would help accelerate the development of artificial intelligence (AI) applications as well as the transformation of local industries in Kaohsiung, Chen said in a
TEAM TAIWAN: While lawmakers proposed declaring Nov. 24 a national day, the CPBL commissioner urged the legislature to pass the budget for sports development Lawmakers yesterday proposed designating Nov. 24 as National Baseball Day and updating the design of the NT$500 bill to honor the national team’s victory in the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s Premier12 championship on Sunday, as thousands of fans came out to see the players parade down the streets of Taipei. Players, coaches and staff from the national team returned home on Monday night after achieving their best-ever performance in an international baseball tournament. After receiving a rapturous welcome at the airport, the players turned out yesterday for a street parade in front of thousands of adoring fans waving Taiwanese flags and
Taiwan moved clear of Mexico to be the only country at No. 2 in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Men’s Baseball World Rankings. Meanwhile, draft bills to set up a ministry of sports were approved at a joint session at the legislature in Taipei yesterday. After previously being tied with Mexico for second on 4,118 points, Taiwan moved clear on 5,498 points after they defeated Japan in the final of the WBSC Premier12 tournament on Sunday. Mexico (4,729) dropped to fourth, behind Venezuela (4,846), who finished fourth at the tournament. Taiwan narrowed the gap to first-placed Japan to 1,368 points from 1,638, WBSC
GLOBAL SUPPORT: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the motion highlighted the improper exclusion of Taiwan from international discussion and cooperative mechanisms Taiwan yesterday thanked the British parliament for passing a motion stating that UN Resolution 2758 does not involve Taiwan, making it the latest body to reject China’s interpretation of the resolution. The House of Commons on Thursday debated the international status of Taiwan and unanimously passed a pro-Taiwan motion stating that the House “notes that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the political status of Taiwan or establish PRC [People’s Republic of China] sovereignty over Taiwan and is silent both on the status of Taiwan in the UN and on Taiwanese participation in UN agencies.” British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Parliamentary
RSS