Almost 70 percent of Taiwanese are optimistic about the COVID-19 pandemic ending or easing, an Infectious Disease Society of Taiwan (IDS) survey published on Friday showed, but about 30 percent of the respondents did not pass a quiz regarding COVID-19 prevention and response.
The IDS surveyed about 1,000 people aged 18 or older regarding their knowledge of COVID-19 and their post-pandemic outlook.
Sixty-eight percent of respondents said they were “very optimistic” or “optimistic” (9 and 58 percent respectively) about the pandemic becoming a lesser concern, IDS chairman Wang Fu-der (王復德) said.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
However, in a seven-question test on knowledge of COVID-19 prevention and response, 31 percent answered three or fewer questions correctly, while the majority — 59.8 percent — answered four correctly, about 7 percent answered five correctly and none scored higher, he said.
More than 90 percent of the respondents know the symptoms of COVID-19 and what to do when testing negative or positive, Wang said.
However, many appear to lack knowledge on preventing an infection, appropriate treatment — including eligibility for anti-viral drugs — and who comprise high-risk groups for severe illness, he said.
The survey found that people who are more optimistic about the the pandemic’s progression scored lower on the quiz, which could be a concern as restrictions are eased, Wang said, adding that the association urges people to remain vigilant and take precautions as rules are lifted.
Centers for Disease Control Director-General Chou Jih-haw (周志浩) and four medical associations joined the IDS at a news conference on Friday to encourage people to follow four COVID-19 prevention rules — get vaccinated against COVID-19, conduct a rapid test when symptoms occur, take oral anti-viral drugs if eligible within five days of the start of symptoms, and maintain personal hygiene, including wearing a mask and washing hands frequently.
Daily new cases have been rising rapidly in the past few days, and the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) forecasts a new wave of infections, Taiwan Society of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine chairman Wang Hao-chien (王鶴健) said.
People aged 65 and older and those in high-risk groups with an increased risk of severe illness from infection should be especially careful, given that more than 90 percent of COVID-19-related deaths were among people with underlying health conditions, and about 70 percent were in older age groups, Wang said.
Studies have suggested that people with diabetes have a five to 10 times higher risk of developing severe illness after COVID-19 infection, Taiwanese Association of Diabetes Educators secretary-general Wang Chih-yuan (王治元) said.
Cancer patients generally have weaker immunity against infections, so they should remain vigilant when friends and family relax precautionary measures, Taiwan Oncology Society chairman James Yang (楊志新) said.
Other studies suggest that when people catch the disease and take oral anti-viral drugs as early as possible after infection, the risk of developing severe illness is significantly reduced, as well as the risk of “long COVID,” Taiwan Association of Family Medicine president Huang Hsin-chang (黃信彰) said.
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