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
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
RSS