The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Saturday said that it has a series of response measures planned in case COVID-19 begins to spread in communities.
The CECC’s four-part prevention plan is based on Taiwan’s experience of dealing with the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak, Department of Medical Affairs Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said.
The first part of the plan would focus on prevention efforts, as any community-level transmission would cause a sudden spike in the number of confirmed cases, he said, offering no additional details.
In the second part, the CECC would introduce new rules to minimize the risk of infection among healthcare workers, Shih said.
Citing his experience as an emergency room doctor at National Taiwan University Hospital during the SARS outbreak, Shih said the medical staff were split into two teams that alternated every two weeks.
That way, an entire team could be quarantined for two weeks without the risk of infecting their colleagues, he said.
If the COVID-19 outbreak reaches a level of urgency similar to the SARS epidemic, medical staff would again be split into teams, and their movements within the hospital would be limited to minimize contact with patients, he said.
Third, medical resources would be allocated to ensure they reach the people who need them the most, Shih said.
The country’s 1,100 negative-pressure isolation units are at 60 percent capacity, Shih said, adding that they are available for anyone who contracts COVID-19 and for those being tested for the virus based on factors such as their travel history.
However, if a community-level outbreak were to occur, demand for those units would increase and patients would be treated at other medical institutions, depending on the severity of their symptoms, he said.
Hospitals would be selected on the basis of their “emergency responsibility levels” — a set of standards that regulate the types of emergency services hospitals can provide, based on their staffing levels and technical capabilities, Shih said.
The fourth aspect of the plan involves reducing the number of people seeking non-essential medical treatment, Shih said.
In terms of implementation, Shih said that the CECC would discuss the measures with public health experts next week and would start working with medical institutions once a consensus has been reached.
President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration is seeking to join an Indo-Pacific economic framework being planned by the US, a senior official said. The government is paying close attention to the regional economic pact being touted by US President Joe Biden, although too few details have emerged from Washington for Taipei to make specific plans, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. The US is expected to launch the Indo-Pacific economic framework next month after negotiations with Australia, India and Japan, the official said. The economic initiative is to tackle trade facilitation, standards for the digital economy and technology, supply-chain resiliency and
PIVOTAL ROLE: Taiwan’s importance in the global chip supply chain can be bolstered by domestic equipment manufacturing, President Tsai Ing-wen said Efforts must be made to better secure Taiwan’s place in the global supply chain by localizing production of equipment and facilities used by the semiconductor industry, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday. Tsai discussed the issue during a meeting with representatives from the Taiwan Electronic Equipment Industry Association at the Presidential Office in Taipei. Product shortages throughout the COVID-19 pandemic — particularly of automotive chips — highlighted the pivotal role of Taiwan in the global supply chain, she said. Tsai thanked the association for cooperating with the government on the shared goal of localizing production of important semiconductor industry equipment.
SEPARATE CASE? A woman tested positive when she went with her daughter to be tested, because her daughter had taken the same bus to school as a steakhouse worker The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported 10 local COVID-19 cases, six of whom had visited a steakhouse in Taoyuan where an infection cluster has been reported. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said that of the 10 local infections, one case — No. 17,928 — is a Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport disease prevention staffer who works in the area where inbound travelers collect their saliva for a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, and sometimes at the fever screening station. The staffer had tested negative in a PCR test on Jan. 9 and
TRACING UNDER WAY: The CECC has identified six transmission chains among 25 recently confirmed COVID-19 cases, including those linked to a restaurant and a bank The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported 54 new COVID-19 infections — 44 imported and 10 local — and identified six transmission chains among local cases. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said the imported cases are 18 who tested positive upon arrival at the airport and 26 who tested positive during quarantine. Of the local cases, seven are associated with a cluster infection at a Tasty Steak (西堤牛排) outlet in Taoyuan’s Zhongli District (中壢), one is linked to a family of four with COVID-19 reported on Monday, one is a family member of an
RSS