Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) yesterday joined online educational platform Hahow with a video about disease prevention, in which he shares his views on Taiwan’s experience containing COVID-19, what to do in face of the pandemic and future developments of the disease.
The 45-minute online course would be free and open to everyone, Chen wrote on Facebook, inviting the public to sign up.
The unique characteristic of COVID-19 is that it has no distinctive symptom and that its infectivity is strong, said Chen, an epidemiologist by training.
Photo grab from a video on Hahow’s Web site
Without vaccines, rapid test kits or related medication, it is imperative to quarantine all known cases, something Taiwan has done quite well, he said.
It is not necessary for Taiwan to conduct universal screening for the novel coronavirus, as Taiwan, unlike South Korea, has had relatively few confirmed infections, Chen said.
Taiwan’s screening ratio and coverage trails only those of the United Arab Emirates and Russia, demonstrating that its screening plan is appropriate, he said.
Chen called on the public not to judge people returning from areas hard-hit by COVID-19 or who have tested positive after being in close proximity to known cases.
“They needed to travel abroad or were exposed to family members; we should be understanding and have empathy,” he said.
No nation can face the danger posed by COVID-19 alone and the global community must band together, Chen said.
It is based on this idea that Taiwan has begun helping other nations, he said, quoting President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) slogan: “Taiwan can help, Taiwan is helping.”
As for future developments of the disease, Chen said that it would be difficult to eradicate the coronavirus from the world, but, like influenza, Taiwan would be equipped to deal with it.
For that to happen, vaccines, medication targeting the coronavirus and rapid test kits must be developed, he said.
Viable test kits could hit the market within three months, while drugs — after undergoing clinical trials — could be available within the next six months, Chen said, but added that vaccine development would perhaps need another year to a year and a half.
Until then, quarantine efforts are the best option to give Taiwan more time, he said.
Chen holds a doctorate in epidemiology and human genetics from Johns Hopkins University. He also served as vice president of Academia Sinica.
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