More than 500 new high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) machines have been delivered to hospitals across Taiwan to help treat severe cases of COVID-19, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said on Friday.
The delivery of 550 HFNC oxygen supply systems to 97 hospitals came as the nation’s death toll from COVID-19 rose to more than 700 out of more than 15,000 confirmed cases, or a mortality rate of 31 deaths per million people.
Taiwan’s mortality rate among reported cases is higher than the single-digit figures in China (3), Singapore (6) and Vietnam (1), according to statistics Web site Worldometers.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare purchased 500 HFNC machines for a combined NT$100 million (US$35,604), while 50 units were donated by a supplier, said Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is the CECC’s spokesman.
The machines are in high demand because they can perform better than regular respirators, and can be used 11,000 times, he said.
The machines were delivered in two stages, said Ku Shih-chi (古世基), a National Taiwan University Hospital doctor and Taiwan Society of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine member, who helped with the distribution of the machines.
The first 200 units were given to major hospitals in Taipei and New Taipei City, such as Far Eastern Memorial Hospital and Shuang Ho Hospital, where many people with severe cases of COVID-19 have been treated, Ku said.
In the second stage, the rest of the machines mostly went to ministry-supervised hospitals based on their medical capacity, he said.
Taoyuan General Hospital received 84 HFNC machines, the most of any hospital, the ministry said.
Taipei Hospital and Tainan Hospital followed with 42 and 30 machines respectively, it said, adding that the three outlying counties of Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu also received HFNC devices.
The oxygen systems can be used on patients who are awake in a prone position, allowing them to eat without help, which reduces the chance of infection for hospital staff, health workers say.
Tan Che-kim (陳志金), a doctor who works in the intensive care unit at Chi Mei Hospital, said that the devices can also help avoid intubation and improve survival rates.
Intubation is considered one of the riskiest medical procedures, because it is performed with a patient’s mouth open, which raises the chances of medical staff becoming infected.
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