A cluster of COVID-19 infections at the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Taoyuan General Hospital might end in one to two weeks if people continue implementing disease prevention measures, National Taiwan University College of Public Health professor Tony Chen (陳秀熙) said yesterday.
A mutated SARS-CoV-2 strain has caused a second wave of the pandemic, not only in the US and the UK, but also in Africa and Asia, Chen said, adding that an increase in the number of imported cases in Taiwan led to the cluster infection, which was inevitable.
“The global COVID-19 situation is expected to continue for a while, but it might significantly slow down after March,” Chen said. “Therefore, I urge people to continue implementing non-pharmaceutical public health interventions [NPIs], meaning disease prevention actions apart from getting vaccinated and taking medicine.”
Photo: CNA
Implementing NPIs is still the most important measure to prevent infections, he said.
“If Taiwan can thoroughly implement NPIs, I believe the cluster infection at the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Taoyuan General Hospital can come to an end in one to two weeks,” he said.
The cluster has increased vigilance in the past couple of weeks, which helps to reduce the risk of a community outbreak, he said.
Based on the number of weekly confirmed cases, the US still tops the list of high-risk countries, followed by Brazil and the UK, Chen said, adding that Taiwan has dropped out of the top 30 low-risk countries to 31st because of the cluster.
“Taiwan still has a very low risk of infection, so I hope everyone can cherish the COVID-19 prevention performance we have had so far, and not be affected by the cluster and lose confidence,” he said.
He cited a study in the Brazilian city of Manaus, which said that an estimated 66 percent of residents have been infected with COVID-19.
The city was thought to have reached the threshold for herd immunity, but cases are still being reported and Brazilian authorities still need to implement NPIs, he said.
The example shows that infection-derived natural herd immunity might be difficult to achieve and comes at a high price, including many deaths, he said.
However, the effectiveness of vaccines still awaits scientific evidence, so social distancing and reducing the virus’ spread are still the most effective methods to fight COVID-19, he said.
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