President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday commended traditional Chinese medicine doctors who took part in the National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine-led development of the herbal formula NRICM101, which is used to treat COVID-19.
Tsai told a meeting with representatives of the National Union of Chinese Medical Doctors Association at the Presidential Office that the practitioners should be recognized for their contributions in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
A study published in the Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy journal in January showed that the treatment was efficient against the virus.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
NRICM101 shows that combining traditional Chinese medicine with scientific methods can lead to new therapeutic possibilities, she said.
The formula’s manufacturers have been awarded licenses to export the drug, which would help the global effort to treat COVID-19 patients, she said, adding that an improved formula is being tested in clinical trials.
Tsai thanked union secretary-general Ko Fu-yang (柯富揚), saying that he has played an important role in guiding and organizing the effort.
The government has over the past few years sought to expand medical services that utilize traditional Chinese medicine, she said.
These efforts include pilot programs that extend National Health Insurance coverage to traditional Chinese medicine treatments for cancer and other acute conditions, as well as its use in home-based care, she said.
The government would continue to work with traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and researchers to develop the field and combat the pandemic, she said.
“Only when working together will the country be able to go forward and surmount the many challenges ahead,” she said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
Taiwan next year plans to launch its first nationwide census on elderly people living independently to identify the estimated 700,000 seniors to strengthen community-based healthcare and long-term care services, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) said yesterday. Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said on the sidelines of a healthcare seminar that the nation’s rapidly aging population and declining birthrate have made the issue of elderly people living alone increasingly pressing. The survey, to be jointly conducted by the MOHW and the Ministry of the Interior, aims to establish baseline data and better allocate care resources, he
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