HEALTH
Monkeypox drug arrives
Taiwan on Wednesday took delivery of 504 courses of tecovirimat, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The antiviral would be given to monkeypox cases with severe symptoms and those at risk of developing them, CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said. If necessary, the CDC would purchase more courses, he said. Taiwan is also working to finalize a deal to purchase monkeypox vaccines, Chuang said. Taiwan on June 23 designated monkeypox as a category 2 communicable disease, which means that physicians are required to report confirmed or suspected cases to the CDC within 24 hours. To date, two imported cases of the disease have been recorded in Taiwan. The cases had traveled to Germany and the US.
HEALTH
CECC posts 23,822 cases
Taiwan yesterday reported 23,822 new local COVID-19 cases and 62 deaths from the disease, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said. Those who died were aged from their 40s to older than 90. Twenty-four of the deceased were unvaccinated against COVID-19, while 61 had chronic illnesses or other severe diseases, the CECC said. The deceased person who had no chronic illness or other severe diseases was unvaccinated, it added. The CECC said that 55 previously reported cases had become severe, while 88 others had developed moderate symptoms. Among the severe cases are five children, four of whom have been diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) and one with pneumonia. The four children with MIS-C are aged from two to nine and include one child who also has acute appendicitis, the CECC said. The four children as of yesterday remained in hospital, it said. The child who has pneumonia is 12 years old and has a genetic neuromuscular disease, requiring them to receive long-term breathing support, it said.
ASTRONOMY
Meteor showers expected
Stargazers are to be able to feast their eyes on five small or medium-sized meteor showers before the end of this month, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said yesterday. Aside from the Perseids, which started on July 7, the four other meteor showers — the Southern Delta Aquariids, Alpha Capricornids, Alpha Pisces Australids and Gamma Draconids — were to reach their peaks by Sunday, the museum said. There would be up to 50 shooting stars per hour, and the best time to see them is between 10pm and sunrise, it added. The Perseids, one of the largest meteor showers of the year along with the Quadrantids in January and the Geminids in December, is to peak on Aug. 13. The museum said it would livestream the meteor showers on YouTube.
CRIME
Illegal clinic operator jailed
A dental lab technician in Changhua County was yesterday sentenced to seven months in jail after he was caught for the third time operating a clinic without a license. The Changhua District Court also ordered the confiscation of about NT$25 million (US$835,338) in earnings from the clinic. The court said the technician, surnamed Yang (楊), in 2016 set up the dental practice in Pitou Township (埤頭), where he offered cavity repair, fillings, root canals and other services, even though he is not a trained dentist. After Yang was in March reported to local authorities, investigators found that he had been prosecuted in 1998 and 2007 for running similar businesses, and received suspended sentences, the court said.
Taiwan yesterday condemned the recent increase in Chinese coast guard-escorted fishing vessels operating illegally in waters around the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. Unusually large groupings of Chinese fishing vessels began to appear around the islands on Feb. 15, when at least six motherships and 29 smaller boats were sighted, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a news release. While CGA vessels were dispatched to expel the Chinese boats, Chinese coast guard ships trespassed into Taiwan’s restricted waters and unsuccessfully attempted to interfere, the CGA said. Due to the provocation, the CGA initiated an operation to increase
CHANGING LANDSCAPE: Many of the part-time programs for educators were no longer needed, as many teachers obtain a graduate degree before joining the workforce, experts said Taiwanese universities this year canceled 86 programs, Ministry of Education data showed, with educators attributing the closures to the nation’s low birthrate as well as shifting trends. Fifty-three of the shuttered programs were part-time postgraduate degree programs, about 62 percent of the total, the most in the past five years, the data showed. National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) discontinued the most part-time master’s programs, at 16: chemistry, life science, earth science, physics, fine arts, music, special education, health promotion and health education, educational psychology and counseling, education, design, Chinese as a second language, library and information sciences, mechatronics engineering, history, physical education
The Chinese military has boosted its capability to fight at a high tempo using the element of surprise and new technology, the Ministry of National Defense said in the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) published on Monday last week. The ministry highlighted Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) developments showing significant changes in Beijing’s strategy for war on Taiwan. The PLA has made significant headway in building capabilities for all-weather, multi-domain intelligence, surveillance, operational control and a joint air-sea blockade against Taiwan’s lines of communication, it said. The PLA has also improved its capabilities in direct amphibious assault operations aimed at seizing strategically important beaches,
‘MALIGN PURPOSE’: Governments around the world conduct espionage operations, but China’s is different, as its ultimate goal is annexation, a think tank head said Taiwan is facing a growing existential threat from its own people spying for China, experts said, as the government seeks to toughen measures to stop Beijing’s infiltration efforts and deter Taiwanese turncoats. While Beijing and Taipei have been spying on each other for years, experts said that espionage posed a bigger threat to Taiwan due to the risk of a Chinese attack. Taiwan’s intelligence agency said China used “diverse channels and tactics” to infiltrate the nation’s military, government agencies and pro-China organizations. The main targets were retired and active members of the military, persuaded by money, blackmail or pro-China ideology to steal
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