Central Weather Bureau officials said the public should wear extra clothing and stay warm after at least 28 people throughout the country have died during the recent cold snap.
Daytime temperatures on Thursday were between 11oC and 12oC for most of the northern region.
A cold air mass from China also led to plunging temperatures in southern Taiwan.
According to reports, there have been 14 incidents of sudden death in relation to the cold. They occurred in Taipei, New Taipei City (新北市) and Keelung on Thursday, with the sudden drop in temperatures inducing heart attacks and other cardiovascular conditions in elderly people.
In Taoyuan County, four deaths were reported, which were attributed to the cold weather of the past two days.
A homeless man in Greater Taichung was reported to have suffered a heart attack and died on Wednesday, and two similar cases were reported in Chiayi City, with officials attributing the cause of the cardiac arrests to the cold snap.
Doctors at Fongyuan Hospital in Greater Taichung said they treated seven patients in the emergency room on Thursday, mostly due to cardiovascular strokes.
All of them were treated and were recovering, the doctors said, adding that normally they only receive one or two such cases in a day.
A fire department official in Greater Tainan said on Thursday that seven individuals had died Wednesday and Thursday as result of cardiac arrest, adding that the fire department also received numerous calls over situations in which elderly people required medical treatment due to the cold.
Pai Hui-wen (白惠文), a doctor of geriatric medicine in Chiayi City, said blood vessels will constrict in cold weather, which pushes up blood pressure.
“Elderly people tend not to drink enough water, due to an aversion to going to the bathroom during sleeping hours. This can raise blood viscosity, leading to reduced blood flow, and can result in myocardial infarction or stroke,” Pai said.
“Senior citizens with high blood pressure and diabetes must take their regular medication and drink warm water during the winter,” he added.
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) hosted a dinner in Taipei last night with key Taiwanese suppliers to celebrate the successful mass production of the company’s new Blackwell AI systems. Speaking to the media earlier yesterday, Huang thanked Nvidia’s Taiwanese partners for their contributions to the company’s ecosystem, while also sharing his plans to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀). In response to rumors that Nvidia will launch a downgraded Hopper H20 chip for China in July, Huang dismissed the reports, saying, “That is not true.” He clarified that there
RSS