The nation’s supply of COVID-19 rapid test kits is to be increased in the coming weeks, Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) said today, as the outbreak is projected to peak in the coming months.
This week, 600,000 COVID-19 rapid test kits are to be distributed, followed by 1.2 million kits next week, Chiu said.
Chiu apologized for drug and test kit shortages at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee, as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that there could be 1.8 million cases of COVID-19 between the end of this month and early August.
Photo: Taipei Times
To buy rapid tests, people should go to the three largest convenience store chains or drug store chains, which have already stocked the kits.
The fourth-largest convenience store chain will also soon stock the kits.
“I am sorry that production and distribution [of the kits] is one or two days behind schedule, but please rest assured that everything is set to be available soon,” Chiu said.
When asked about the status of COVID-19 medicine, Chiu said that there are about 450,000 doses of the primary drug Paxlovid available, more than enough given prior waves peaked with 180,000 doses being used.
The demand for COVID-19 rapid test kits is expected to reach 3.47 million in early August, while manufacturers plan to produce a total of 8.31 million, CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said today.
The dominant variant in Taiwan is NB.1.8.1 of the XDV lineage, which is said to have stronger immune evasion capabilities and is more contagious, Lo said.
The current outbreak is expected to peak between the end of June and the beginning of July, he said, warning that the number of weekly emergency visits related to COVID-19 could surpass the peak of last summer.
Preparations should be made in case of severe symptoms and deaths related to COVID-19 in high-risk groups, he said.
Meanwhile, the Kinmen County Department of Health yesterday reported the county’s first death related to COVID-19 this year.
There have been two cases of severe complications from COVID-19, one of which was fatal, it said.
In both cases, patients were over 60 years old and had not received the latest JN.1-based COVID-19 vaccine.
There are sufficient supplies of vaccines, masks and antiviral drugs, the county department of health said, adding that people should get vaccinated as soon as possible.
The majority of severe complications from COVID-19 nationwide are those over 65 years old, statistics show.
More than 90 percent of confirmed and fatal cases had not received the JN.1-based vaccine.
In this current wave, symptoms can resemble colds or a stomach virus, such as muscle pain, headaches, sore throats and diarrhea, among others, it said.
Getting vaccinated is the most effective way to prevent getting it, it added.
Additional reporting by Fion Khan
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