The coronavirus that causes SARS has existed in wild birds for hundreds of years but has lately made the leap to humans by chance, a noted US-based virologist said in Taipei yesterday. Dr. Michael Lai (賴明詔), a Taiwan-born professor at the University of Southern California who heads a World Health Organization (WHO) coronavirus research team, said the coronavirus also exists in certain other animals, including cattle, pigs, chickens and rats. \nBut genetic sequencing shows that the coronavirus that causes SARS is more like the version that originates in wild birds, Lai said. \nAs to how the SARS virus made the leap to humans, Lai said it may have been the result of people in Guangdong Province eating raw or half-cooked coronavirus-infected bird meat. Guangdong is where the first cases of SARS in humans were reported. \nLai, who arrived in Taipei on Thursday to assist in the campaign against the disease, said there have been drugs to treat coronavirus-infected animals. \nThis is good news for efforts to develop vaccines and cures for SARS-infected humans, Lai said. But he acknowledged that many uncertainties and difficulties still stand in the way. \n"We still don't understand a lot about the virus' behavior in the human body, and it will take time to unravel the mystery, " Lai said, adding that it may take at least four or five years to develop a vaccine or an effective cure for SARS. \nNoting that SARS-virus research requires sophisticated instruments and equipment, Lai said Taiwan should establish a top-grade laboratory. \nLai, 61, has dedicated himself to coronavirus research for some 30 years. Nearly all the textbooks on coronavirus used by US medical college students have been written by Lai. \nHe is scheduled to assume the post of vice president of Academia Sinica in July. \nMeanwhile Taipei City reported 14 new cases of SARS on Saturday, but none of them were related to Taipei Municipal Hoping Hospital, Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said yesterday. \nThis marked the first time that no new Hoping-related SARS case was reported in a day since the hospital was sealed off April 24 due to a mass transmission of the disease inside the facility, Ma said. A total of 219 Hoping-related SARS cases have so far been reported. \nMa also said he has taken a bit of comfort in the drop in the new SARS caseload in the city, which fell from 37 on Friday to 14 on Saturday. Taipei has accounted for 69 percent of the nation's total reported SARS cases, but Ma said many of the reported cases are still pending tests to determine whether they are SARS infections.
HOT-SPRING RETREAT: A hotel in Japan incurred a loss of about US$1,846 after a Taiwanese man failed to show up for his reservation due to a misunderstood message A Taiwanese man who failed to show up for a hotel reservation in Japan has apologized and offered compensation, the hotel said yesterday. The man, surnamed Lee (李), reserved a room at the Yufuin Tsubaki hot-spring hotel in Oita for the Lunar New Year holiday, but failed to show up on Friday. Lee yesterday called the hotel to apologize and offered to compensate the losses caused by his failure to show up, a hotel employee surnamed Yashiro said. Lee’s wife also called on Sunday to apologize, she said. Lee had booked a two-night stay with upscale seafood and beef meals, the hotel said. His
Two Taiwanese Americans were among those killed in a mass shooting at a dance studio in Monterey Park, California, on Saturday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles (TECO LA) said it contacted local authorities, who confirmed that two of the 11 killed in the shooting were Taiwanese Americans. “TECO LA conveys our heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families, and sends our prayers to the injured for a speedy recovery,” it said in a statement. The office said it is assisting the relatives of one of the victims to travel from
A senior US senator on Monday questioned the willingness of some US allies to help defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion. Although Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) expects the US and Japan to respond in a war in the Taiwan Strait, he was “a little less confident what our other allies would do,” US Senator John Cornyn said. Australia and New Zealand have voiced support for Taiwan, but it “is a far cry from committing troops to repel an invasion,” Cornyn said during a discussion on China, Russia and the state of US military readiness at a forum hosted
Whisky connoisseurs are a rapidly growing demographic in Taiwan, driving prices ever higher as collectors vie for the most coveted editions. Although not a new pastime, whisky collection has been picking up steam in recent years. According to the Scotch Whisky Association, Taiwan was the third-largest buyer of Scotch whisky in 2021 in monetary terms. One collector, surnamed Fu (傅), said there are many types of whisky that are ripe for collecting. One that has skyrocketed in price in recent years is the Macallan 12-year-old Gran Reserva, which bears a striking purple label, said Fu, who has more than 10 years of experience as
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