Taiwan adds 372 domestic cases
NEW VIOLENCE: Deputy Minister of the Interior Chen Tsung-yen said a suspect with COVID-19 damaged his room and escaped, but he was later caught by police
By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported 372 locally transmitted cases of COVID-19, 177 backlogged cases and 12 deaths.
Of the new local cases, 207 are male and 165 female, aged under five to over 90, with an onset of symptoms between May 2 and Tuesday, said Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center.
Of the 177 backlogged cases, 96 are male and 81 are female, aged under five to over 80, with an onset of symptoms between May 13 and Sunday.
Taiwanese must fight the virus together
By Lai Chi-wan 賴其萬
At a time when it is crucial for the nation to jointly pursue a single goal as large numbers of COVID-19 cases continue to be reported, it is astonishing that there is such heated debate in newspapers, on TV, in public broadcasts and on the Internet, with people lambasting the government for its response to the pandemic.
The Central Epidemic Command Center and medical teams have worked hard day and night for more than a year, but now it appears as if everyone has forgotten their efforts. It is truly shocking to see how cold and cruel Taiwanese can become at times like this.
NEW VIOLENCE: Deputy Minister of the Interior Chen Tsung-yen said a suspect with COVID-19 damaged his room and escaped, but he was later caught by policeBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
President defends vaccine efforts amid accusations
Staff writer, with CNA
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday defended the development of domestic COVID-19 vaccines amid accusations that the government has deliberately prevented imports of foreign shots to protect local vaccine makers.
In an address livestreamed on social media, Tsai said that the government has tried its best to facilitate delivery of the 20 million vaccine doses it has ordered from international vaccine makers.
Taiwan has received fewer than 900,000 doses, mostly from AstraZeneca. This has spurred local governments, religious groups and private enterprises to try to obtain vaccines from abroad on their own, but critics said their efforts have been blocked by the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), or they were required to go through the central government.
“New Zealanders deserve some transparency when it comes to the vaccine rollout and the COVID-19 Recovery Minister isn’t providing it,” says ACT Leader David Seymour. “We have 250,000 doses of the vaccine in New Zealand. We’re using 100,000 .