HEALTH
Monkeypox case reported
A second monkeypox case was reported yesterday after a man declared symptoms of the disease when arriving from the US, said the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The patient, a 30-year-old Taiwanese, visited the US from May to this month and began experiencing symptoms — swelling of the testes, running a fever, swollen lymph nodes in the groin, rashes and diarrhea — as early as July 3, the CDC said. The global monkeypox outbreak, with the first cases reported in the UK in May, has amounted to 9,664 confirmed cases. Taiwan has reported two imported cases of the disease. South Korea has reported one imported case of monkeypox, while Singapore has reported three imported cases and one domestic. The CDC said it has issued a category 2 travel alert for 49 nations, adding that Taiwanese who visit these nations should avoid social contact as much as possible. The CDC added that it is stepping up measures to procure vaccines.
EDUCATION
NTU candidates unveiled
National Taiwan University’s (NTU) Presidential Election Committee yesterday announced the final roster of nine candidates to head the nation’s most prestigious university for the next four years. The nine candidates are all NTU faculty — head of the office of research and development Lee Pai-chi (李百祺); former acting president Kuo Tei-wei (郭大維); College of Engineering dean Chen Wen-chang (陳文章); College of Law professor Chen Tsung-fu (陳聰富); College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science dean Chang Yao-wen (張耀文); NTU Hospital Yunlin branch superintendent Hwang Juey-jen (黃瑞仁); Department of Library and Information Science professor Huang Mu-hsuan (黃慕瑄); Department of Electrical Engineering professor Benson Yeh (葉丙成); and NTU Cancer Center superintendent James Yang (楊志新). The committee said the candidates would be invited to give a speech on their vision for NTU starting late next month and the University Affairs Committee would begin accepting recommendations and endorsements for the candidates in early September. The University Affairs Committee would complete background checks on candidates in September, meet and discuss with candidates at length their ideas on running the university, and arrange one-on-one interviews with the candidates starting in October. The university expects to have a president-elect by Oct. 8, it added.
HEALTH
Taipei to roll out kids’ jabs
Taipei began accepting online appointments yesterday for COVID-19 vaccination of children aged 6 months to 5 years, in preparation for the rollout of the Moderna brand for that age group next week. About 8,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine for young children are available on the city’s booking Web site through 5pm today and vaccinations are to begin on Thursday next week, said Chang Hui-mei (張惠美), a section head in the Taipei Department of Health. Appointments can also be made at 12 hospitals in Taipei, which would be offering 1,000 shots for young children, also starting on Thursday next week, she said. In addition to the Moderna vaccine, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 is to be administered from Monday next week to July 24, she said. The current round of reservations also includes 62,000 doses of the Novavax, Medigen and Pfizer-BNT vaccines for adults and children, she said. As of Monday, 91.39 percent of the population had received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, including 76.0 percent in the 5-to-11 age group.
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
The presence of Taiwanese politicians at China’s military parade tomorrow would send the wrong message to Beijing and the international community about Taiwan’s sovereignty and democracy, a national security official said yesterday. China is to hold the parade tomorrow to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II. By bringing together leaders of “anti-West” governments such as Russia, North Korea, Iran and Belarus, the parade aims to project a symbolic image of an alliance that is cohesive and unbending against Western countries, the national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu
ENHANCING DETERRENCE: Stationing the missiles in Kyushu would allow Japan to cover waters near Taiwan and China’s coastal areas without any logistical difficulties Japan is to deploy extended-range anti-ship missiles at a Ground Self-Defense Force base in Kumamoto to bolster its defenses, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Saturday. The upgraded Type 12 surface-to-ship missile, with a range of more than 1,000km, would be capable of striking targets in the Taiwan Strait and along China’s coast. Originally limited to a few hundred kilometers, the Type 12 was recently modernized ahead of schedule. Deployment, initially slated for next year, has been accelerated after the upgrade was completed sooner than expected, the newspaper said. Stationing the missiles in Kyushu would allow Japan to cover waters near Taiwan and
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