The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported four new imported cases of COVID-19 — three from the Philippines and one from South Africa.
All four had proof of a negative COVID-19 test result issued within three days of their departure for Taiwan, the center said in a statement.
The three Filipina workers in their 30s arrived in Taiwan on Jan. 14 and went directly into quarantine at a government-designated facility. They were tested for COVID-19 at the end of their quarantine on Wednesday and the results returned positive two days later, even though they have shown no symptoms, the center said.
The fourth case is a Taiwanese in his 60s who visited South Africa in October and returned to Taiwan on Jan. 12, it said.
While in home quarantine, the man developed a cough, nasal congestion and a sore throat on Jan. 19, which he treated with medicine, the center said.
The man reported his symptoms to local health authorities on Sunday, but did not seek medical attention because his symptoms seemed to be easing, it said.
He was tested for COVID-19 upon completing his quarantine on Wednesday and the result returned positive yesterday.
Health authorities traced one contact in the case — a family member who lives in the same building, but on a different floor. The contact has been asked to observe self-health management protocols, the CECC said.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, expressed concern over richer countries hoarding vaccines, saying it undermines a global effort to fight the pandemic.
Countries should only purchase enough vaccines for their own citizens, as hoarding would only aggravate a shortage of the drugs, he said.
It is understandable that all nations wish to protect their citizens, but they should consider stopping when they have enough supplies for their own, he added.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that United Biomedical Inc became the second local COVID-19 vaccine developer to receive the agency’s approval to begin phase 2 clinical trials.
The phase 2 trials would proceed after the required technical documents are submitted to and approved by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the FDA said.
Wu Ming-mei (吳明美), deputy head of the FDA’s Medical Products Division, said the results of the phase 1 trials of the company’s UB-612 vaccine candidate showed that it meets safety and immunogenicity criteria.
United Biomedical said in a statement yesterday that it plans to recruit 3,850 volunteers for its phase 2 trials of UB-612, a multitope protein/peptide-based vaccine, which, according to a report published in November on its animal experimentation, consists of components designed for the induction of high neutralizing antibodies and broad T-cell responses against SARS-CoV-2.
The company aims to recruit at least 3,000 people within a month and complete the recruitment in March so that it can submit the results to the FDA in the middle of June at the earliest, it added.
The phase 2 trials are to cover three age groups — 12 to 18, 19 to 64, and 65 and older — at 11 hospitals across the nation.
Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp was the first local company to enter phase 2 trial for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, after it received FDA approval on Dec. 30.
Additional reporting by Wu Liang-yi
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