The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday called on the government to investigate why Taiwan has a 0.000133 death rate after inoculations with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
KMT caucus secretary-general Cheng Li-wen (鄭麗文) said that the proportion of deaths after vaccination with the AstraZeneca shot is “horrifyingly high,” exceeding the rate in other nations.
There have been more than 240 deaths among the 1.8 million people who have been inoculated in Taiwan, or a ratio of 0.000133 to one, which is far greater than the UK’s 0.000024 and Norway’s 0.000044, and 10 times the rates in Germany, Italy and Austria, Cheng said.
Photo courtesy of the KMT
The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) should launch an investigation into the matter, instead of simply saying that those who died were mostly older people with chronic diseases, she said.
KMT caucus convener Alex Fai (費鴻泰) said that he did not mean to criticize or blame Japan, but there should be an investigation regarding death rates linked to a batch of AstraZeneca vaccines it donated, as well as an earlier batch manufactured in Italy and South Korea.
Some say that the ratio of deaths after the arrival of the AstraZeneca vaccines from Japan is similar to death rates among vaccinated older people in other nations, but this does not take into account that the deaths in Taiwan have occurred within a week of being inoculated, not over an entire year, Fai said.
His intent is not to criticize Japan, but rather to persuade the government to launch an official investigation into the post-inoculation death rates, as it is highly likely that COVID-19 would be seasonal, like influenza, Fai said.
The number of older people willing to get the jab has decreased as a result of the deaths, KMT caucus deputy secretary-general Jessica Chen (陳玉珍) said.
“People want to know what is going on” and the CECC should assuage their fear, Chen said.
The CECC on Tuedsay said preliminary results from autopsies conducted on 44 people who died after a COVID-19 jab indicate that most died from chronic diseases.
Thirty-three of the 44 autopsies showed that the main cause of death was pre-existing chronic conditions, the CECC said.
Another two died of pneumonia, two of cervical spine fractures, one of aspiration asphyxia, one of asphyxia after choking on food, one of intracranial hemorrhage, and two of urinary tract infections, said Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is CECC spokesman.
The cause of death in two cases remains unknown, Chuang said.
Additional reporting by CNA
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
Japanese Councilor Hei Seki (石平) on Wednesday said that he plans to visit Taiwan, saying that would “prove that Taiwan is an independent country and does not belong to China.” Seki, a member of the Japan Innovation Party, was born in Chengdu in China’s Sichuan Province and became a naturalized Japanese in 2007. He was elected to the House of Concilors last year. His views on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) — espoused in a series of books on politics and history — prompted Beijing to sanction him, including barring Seki from traveling to China. Seki wrote on X that he intends
RSS