People should get at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine per year, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝), who heads the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), said yesterday, as the center reported 14,795 new local cases.
Yesterday morning, Wang, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) and CECC officials visited Taichung to meet with Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) and visit the city’s vaccination stations.
As the mask mandate is to be eased tomorrow, and people have become less worried about COVID-19, spectators of the World Baseball Classic’s Pool A games — which are to be held in Taichung from March 8 — can choose whether to wear a mask, Lu said, adding that high-risk groups and people with symptoms or concerns should still wear a mask.
Photo courtesy of the Taichung City Government via CNA
Taichung’s vaccination rate is the highest in the nation, so its methods for promoting vaccination could serve as a model for other local governments, Wang said.
Asked about the lifting of the mask mandate for most indoor settings tomorrow, Wang said the overall vaccination coverage is not high enough — the second booster vaccination rate is only about 20 percent.
As the pandemic eases, people should continue to protect themselves against the virus, he said, adding that while no emerging variant of concern has been discovered recently, people should get at least one vaccination each year.
Separately, the CECC yesterday reported 14,795 new local cases, 299 imported cases and 55 deaths.
The local caseload is 17.8 percent lower than that on Saturday last week, marking the 15th consecutive day that the new local caseload is lower than the previous week.
Of the 55 deaths, 53 people had underlying health conditions, 37 people had not had a vaccine booster, including 28 people who were unvaccinated, while 33 people were aged 80 or older, the CECC said.
The youngest confirmed death was a man in his 30s, who had chronic lung and nervous system diseases and was bedridden. He died of acute respiratory failure and COVID-19 infection, it said.
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
CASE: Prosecutors have requested heavy sentences, citing a lack of remorse and the defendants’ role in ‘undermining the country’s democratic foundations’ Five people affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), including senior staff from the party’s Taipei branch, were indicted yesterday for allegedly forging thousands of signatures to recall two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. Those indicted include KMT Taipei chapter director Huang Lu Chin-ru (黃呂錦茹), secretary-general Chu Wen-ching (初文卿) and secretary Yao Fu-wen (姚富文), the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said in a news release. Prosecutors said the three were responsible for fabricating 5,211 signature forms — 2,537 related to the recall of DPP Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) and 2,674 for DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) — with forged entries accounting for
RSS