Call with Paraguay reaffirmed ties, ministry says
By Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporter
Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) on Tuesday night spoke on the telephone with Paraguayan Minister of Foreign Affairs Euclides Acevedo, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, amid speculation that China might poach Taiwan’s sole remaining ally in South America using COVID-19 vaccine diplomacy.
During the call, both men reaffirmed ties, while exchanging opinions on bilateral cooperation programs and issues related to the pandemic, the Taiwanese ministry said in a press release.
Wu expressed the government’s intention to continue working with Paraguay to combat the pandemic, while Acevedo thanked Taiwan for its medical supplies and its assistance in helping Paraguay obtain vaccines, it said.
Palau President Whipps confident about travel bubble with Taiwan
03/17/2021 10:38 PM
Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. (right)/screenshot from a PNCC live broadcast on YouTube
Taipei, March 17 (CNA) Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. said Wednesday that his government and Taiwan are confident about the planned launch of a travel bubble between the two countries on April 1, which will be the first initiative of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region.
The policy, which was unveiled at press conferences in both countries, will allow Taiwanese tour groups to travel to the Pacific nation on two weekly flights, while offering streamlined quarantine procedures on each side.
Image from the Palau Visitors Authority Facebook Page
Taipei, March 17 (CNA) A much-anticipated travel bubble between Taiwan and its diplomatic ally Palau will start on April 1, the first of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced Wednesday.
The program will offer streamlined quarantine procedures for both sides as the COVID-19 pandemic situation has been relatively mild in the two countries, CECC head and Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said at a news conference.
To take advantage of the program, visitors must follow certain protocols, including traveling with their tour groups throughout their entire stay in Palau, Chen said.
2021/03/17 11:37 Vial of AstraZeneca vaccine in pharmacy in Boulogne Billancourt, outside Paris. Vial of AstraZeneca vaccine in pharmacy in Boulogne Billancourt, outside Paris. (AP photo) TAIPEI (Taiwan News) As inoculations of the AstraZeneca vaccine are being suspended in some European countries over a potentially deadly side effect, less than one-third of Taiwanese healthcare professionals are willing to be the first recipients of the jab in Taiwan. On Tuesday (March 16), the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) released the results of a survey of medical care workers on their willingness to get the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Of those surveyed, 90 percent, or about 183,000, have responded thus far.
2021/03/15 20:58 Chuang Jen-hsiang Chuang Jen-hsiang (CNA photo) TAIPEI (Taiwan News) Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Monday (March 15) specified guidelines for who should and should not consider AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine. Taiwan has obtained its first batch of AstraZeneca jabs, the use of which some countries have called to temporarily suspend after concerns about blood clots in vaccine recipients were raised. CECC Spokesman Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) announced the CECC’s recommendations with regard to the shots. The center suggested people who fall into the following three categories not be vaccinated with AstraZeneca: ●Persons allergic to ingredients in the vaccine ●Persons with severe allergic reactions to the first shot