The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) today announced that it would extend its free antiviral medication program until March 15 in response to the most severe flu season in recent years.
In December last year, the CDC expanded eligibility criteria for publicly funded flu antiviral drugs until Feb. 28.
Today it announced that it would extend the program for another two weeks.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
Those eligible are people with flu-like symptoms who have one or more household members, coworkers or classmates diagnosed with the flu, allowing them to access medication without needing to take a flu test.
Flu cases remain at peak levels, with flu-related complications and deaths at their highest level in a decade, CDC Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said.
Officials expect the flu season to last until next month, Tseng added.
The CDC currently has 2 million doses in reserve and can administer 30,000 to 40,000 doses per week, although it would evaluate its existing stockpiles, she said.
This stockpile is in line with the CDC’s goal of having enough medicine to treat 10 to 12 percent of the population and is sufficient to meet demand for this flu season, she added.
The CDC is cautious regarding the overuse of antibiotics and would adjust the program based on the evolving situation, Tseng added.
When caring for patients with influenza-like symptoms, doctors should inquire about the person's medical history and carefully assess whether they meet the criteria for the use of antivirals, she said.
If the patient is eligible, then they can be prescribed free medication without needing a flu test to limit the flu’s spread and protect the public, she said.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
ENERGY RESILIENCE: Although Alaska is open for investments, Taiwan is sourcing its gas from the Middle East, and the sea routes carry risks, Ho Cheng-hui said US government officials’ high-profile reception of a Taiwanese representative at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference indicated the emergence of an Indo-Pacific energy resilience alliance, an academic said. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) attended the conference in Alaska on Thursday last week at the invitation of the US government. Pan visited oil and gas facilities with senior US officials, including US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and US Senator Daniel Sullivan. Pan attending the conference on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) shows a significant elevation in diplomatic representation,
The Taipei MRT is to begin accepting mobile payment services in the fall, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said on Saturday. When the company finishes the installation of new payment units at ticketing gates in October, MRT passengers can use credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, the operator said. In addition, the MRT would also provide QR payment codes — which would be compatible with Line Pay, Jkopay, iPass Money, PXPay Plus, EasyWallet, iCash Pay, Taiwan Pay and Taishin Pay — to access the railway system. Currently, passengers can access the Taipei MRT by buying a single-journey token or using EasyCard,
RSS