Mary Beth Leonard writes that the world has much to learn from Taiwan at the World Health Assembly
Taiwan was incredibly effective at managing the COVID-19 pandemic and the world has an opportunity to learn from that experience at the May 25-June 1 World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva. If only inviting Taiwan were that easy. Taiwan unfortunately has been blocked from participating in critical international efforts to control the spread of diseases, denied access to important platforms to share its knowledge and expertise, and the 24 million people living on the island are cut off from global health security initiatives. This undermines public health in Nigeria, just as it does in the United States, Taiwan, and around the world. We can all do the right thing and support Taiwanâs participation in international organizations where their contributions would help solve pressing issues, such as alleviating the COVID pandemic.
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KMT copying China
The COVID-19 pandemic has become severe in Taiwan. As the number of confirmed cases continues to rise in Taipei and New Taipei City, hospitals are slowly moving toward maximum capacity.
To address the situation, some pan-blue camp politicians and media personalities have proposed building mobile field hospitals.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who also heads the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), said that such efforts are not needed at this time.
In Chinese field hospitals, for example, positive but asymptomatic COVID-19 cases and people with mild symptoms are kept in the same open space without strict isolation and infection prevention equipment.
Taiwan turns down China’s offer to sell vaccines to local governments
Mr Chen, who is also minister of health and welfare, did not categorically reject the possibility, but made it clear that Taiwan was not interested in vaccines from China.
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Taiwanese health authorities on Wednesday turned down an apparent offer by China to sell BioNTech vaccines to city and county governments.
Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) Chief, Chen Shih-chung, said that any vaccines had to be imported through certified agents, vetted for efficacy, quality and safety, and distributed by Taiwan’s central government.
Mr Chen, who is also minister of health and welfare, did not categorically reject the possibility, but made it clear that Taiwan was not interested in vaccines from China.
A political talk show on the SET News channel has sparked public outrage after it referred to a COVID-19 variant that is spreading in the nation as the “Wanhua virus” (萬華病毒).
Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華) has been severely affected by an outbreak since a cluster infection was detected in the area last month.
The National Communications Commission (NCC) said it has received 26 complaints about broadcast media coverage of the outbreak since the Central Epidemic Command Center raised the COVID-19 warning in Taipei and New Taipei City to level 3 on May 15.
Eight of the complaints were about an episode of the