The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) has awarded NT$3.5 million (US$116,877) to the family of a person in Tainan who died of intracerebral hemorrhage after receiving a dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
A VICP meeting held on June 23 reviewed 65 cases of suspected adverse reactions after COVID-19 vaccination, and compensation was granted in 10 cases: seven involving the AstraZeneca vaccine, and one case each with the Medigen, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.
The NT$3.5 million case involved a person surnamed Lin (林). Ten days after receiving a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, Lin was hospitalized with a headache and vomiting, and a blood test indicated thrombocytopenia — a low platelet count.
However, Lin was discharged the next day.
Lin was again rushed to hospital after losing consciousness that night, and a computed tomography (CT) scan of their head showed a severe hemorrhage in the left temporal lobe and a subarachnoid hemorrhage. Lin died of intracerebral hemorrhage.
Lin did not have a medical history of underlying health conditions, and although thrombocytopenia was detected, no blood clots were found, so the case did not meet the criteria for thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, the VICP’s report said.
Considering the chronology of events and Lin’s clinical symptoms, the VICP said that the intracerebral hemorrhage was linked to serious thrombocytopenia.
There is no evidence linking immune thrombocytopenia and the AstraZeneca vaccine, so the compensation was granted, it said.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
The next minimum wage hike is expected to exceed NT$30,000, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday during an award ceremony honoring “model workers,” including migrant workers, at the Presidential Office ahead of Workers’ Day today. Lai said he wished to thank the awardees on behalf of the nation and extend his most sincere respect for their hard work, on which Taiwan’s prosperity has been built. Lai specifically thanked 10 migrant workers selected for the award, saying that although they left their home countries to further their own goals, their efforts have benefited Taiwan as well. The nation’s industrial sector and small businesses lay
RSS