Quarantine rules relaxed for U.K., South Africa, Eswatini arrivals
04/07/2021 08:20 PM
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung. Photo courtesy of the CECC
Taipei, April 7 (CNA) Strict quarantine requirements placed on arrivals from the United Kingdom, South Africa and Eswatini will be relaxed from Saturday, as the COVID-19 situations in these countries have eased, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Wednesday.
From Dec. 23, travelers who have visited or transited though the U.K. in the two weeks prior to coming to Taiwan have been required to stay in government quarantine centers upon arrival rather than being able to quarantine at home or in hotels like other travelers.
2021/04/07 12:19 Medical workers receiving AstraZeneca vaccine at Pingtung Christian Hospital. Medical workers receiving AstraZeneca vaccine at Pingtung Christian Hospital. (CNA photo) TAIPEI (Taiwan News) More than 17,000 adults in Taiwan have received at least their first coronavirus shot as of Tuesday (April 6) as the country expanded vaccinations to all healthcare facility workers. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) Spokesman Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) pointed out that Taiwan’s rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine is largely on schedule. The country began its vaccination campaign on March 22, and 17,245 adults had received the first dose by Tuesday, with 64 having experienced adverse reactions, he said.
Second, third priority groups eligible for jab
By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
Eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines is to be further expanded to top government officials and workers with higher exposure risk from Monday next week, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said that on Tuesday, the rollout list was expanded to include everyone in the first priority group healthcare facility workers or about 488,000 people.
“We are now announcing that starting on April 12, the vaccine rollout list will be expanded to all of those in the first, second and third priority groups,” he said.
Debunking myths about vaccines
By Twu Shiing-jer 涂醒哲
The nation has started administering COVID-19 vaccines. Most people expect the vaccine to be effective in preventing outbreaks and getting everyone’s lives back to normal. However, the following popular myths and misunderstandings need to be clarified based on scientific observations in the fields of epidemiology, public health and immunology.
The first myth is that when you have been vaccinated, you can go ahead and travel anywhere without fear of contracting COVID-19.
However, vaccines are not 100 percent effective. Some vaccines can give 95 percent protection, but this means they are ineffective for 5 percent of those who receive them.
TAIPEI (The China Post) â The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC, ä¸å¤®æµè¡ç«æ ææ®ä¸å¿) said on Wednesday that a total of 18,657 AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine doses have been administered as of Tuesday.
A follow-up evaluation report by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA, é£è¥ç½²), however, shows another person with a severe allergic reaction after receiving the vaccine, the second case since Taiwan started administrating the vaccines.
CECC spokesperson Chuang Jen-hsiang (è人祥) pointed out that the U.K. and the European Union have both been trying to determine the connection between adverse reactions to the AZ vaccine and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis.
As cerebral venous sinus thrombosis is a rare disease, the CECC indicated that westerners are 10 times more likely to affected than Asian people.