WARNING: Taiwan’s e-mail mentioned ‘isolated’ patients, and any public health expert would know what circumstances require such a response, the minister of health said

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 12, 2020
By: Lee I-chia / Staff reporter

Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) yesterday urged the WHO to be honest as the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) published the e-mail it had sent to the world body in December last year alerting it about the risk of an outbreak in China.

The WHO on Friday said it received an e-mail from the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Dec. 31 last year, but added that “there was no mention in the message of human-to-human transmission.”

During a news conference at the CECC in Taipei yesterday, Chen read out the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) e-mail to the WHO International Health Regulations (IHR) Focal Point on Dec. 31 last year.

“News resources today indicate that at least seven atypical pneumonia cases were reported in Wuhan, China,” the e-mail read. “Their health authorities replied to the media that the cases were believed not SARS; however, the samples are still under examination, and cases have been isolated for treatment.”    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 10 April, 2020
By: John Van Trieste

Taiwan has reported its sixth death from COVID-19. It is also reporting two new cases of COVID-19, both of them imported. The new cases bring the total number Taiwan has recorded so far up to 382.

Taiwan’s sixth COVID-19 death was a man in his 70’s who was infected while with a tour group in Egypt. He had suffered from diabetes and elevated levels of blood lipids.   [FULL  STORY]

Hong Kong Free Press
Date: 11TH APRIL 2020
By: AFP

The World Health Organisation on Friday denied having brushed off a Taiwanese warning on

human-to-human transmission of the new coronavirus soon after its outbreak in China late last year. 

The US has accused the body of “putting politics first” by ignoring Taiwan’s warning in late December, and thus helping Beijing conceal the pandemic’s gravity. 

President Donald Trump has threatened to withhold funding for the WHO, which is at the forefront of fighting the pandemic that has infected more than 1.5 million people worldwide since emerging in Wuhan, China. 

The United States said Thursday it was “deeply disturbed that Taiwan’s information was withheld from the global health community, as reflected in the WHO’s January 14, 2020 statement that there was no indication of human-to-human transmission”.    [FULL  STORY]

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus' claim that Taiwanese are racist is 'world-class fake news,' say campaigners

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/04/10
By:  Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese are raising funds for a full-page advertisement in The New York Times newspaper to refute the World Health Organization (WHO) chief’s recent accusations against Taiwan.

During a press conference at the United Nations health agency’s headquarters in Geneva on Wednesday (April 8), WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus took aim at Taiwan. He claimed to have received racist remarks and death threats, attributing the attacks to Taiwanese.

“And Taiwan, the foreign ministry also, they know the campaign. They didn’t disassociate themselves. They even started criticizing me in the middle of all that insult and slur, but I didn’t care,” said Tedros, who had been asked to comment on U.S. President Donald Trump’s criticism of the organization.

Tedros’ accusations spurred a public outcry on social media and drew protests from the Taiwan authorities. The fundraising campaign was started on Friday (April 10) in the hope of financing a full-page advertisement that will appear in The New York Times next Monday (April 13).
[FULL  STORY]

Fcus Taiwan
Date: 04/10/2020
By: Chen Ming-hsuan, Yu Hsiao-han, and William Yen

Taipei, April 10 (CNA) Crowd measurement measures are to be introduced at scenic and popular areas around Taiwan starting Friday, in an effort to slow down the spread of the new coronavirus COVID-19 disease, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

Night markets, traditional markets and shopping areas are required to enforce social distancing, and have only one point of entry, according to command center deputy Chen Tsung-yen (陳宗彥), at a daily CECC press conference.

In addition, all free food samples must be canceled, while vendors and customers will be required to wear masks at all times, Chen said.

"If a safe distance cannot be created between seated customers, then a partition board should be used," Chen said. "For the most popular vendors, markings should be displayed on the ground to ensure people keep a safe distance when lining up."    [FULL  STORY]

MISDIRECTION: Chinese social media users posing as Taiwanese have taken responsibility for racist attacks that the WHO’s head claimed originated in Taiwan

Taipei Times
Date:  Apr 11, 2020
By: Jason Pan / Staff reporter

Chinese posing as Taiwanese have issued online apologies to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus for “personal attacks” and “racist abuse,” Taiwanese authorities said yesterday.

Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau officials presented the findings at a media briefing to rebut accusations by Tedros, who on Wednesday accused Taiwan of engaging in personal attacks against him.

Tedros said that he over the past three months received death threats and racist abuse, and claimed that it originated from Taiwan.Within hours of Tedros’ remarks, Twitter accounts traced to China began posting apologies to the WHO head on behalf of the Taiwanese public, which were then circulated on Chinese social media, amplifying their reach, Cyber Security Office head Chang Yu-jen (張尤仁) said.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date:  April 9, 2020
By: Paula Chao

Taiwan announced just one new case of coronavirus on Thursday, so we’re taking a break from the gloom and doom to shine a spotlight on the heroes helping us fight the pandemic! Also, meet Douglas Habecker, an American who recently beat the disease in Taiwan. 
 

Quartz
Date: April 9, 2020
By: Annabelle Timsit

In a highly-unusual speech, the leader of the World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday appealed to the international community to stop politicizing the fight against the novel coronavirus—and then proceeded to politicize it even further.

In an exchange with reporters, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the first African director-general of the WHO, said he had experienced death threats and racist vitriol online over the past three weeks. He alleged that some of these attacks came from Taiwan and accused the Taiwanese government of knowing about, and refusing to do anything about, them. (Taiwan has denied and harshly condemned these accusations.)

“If you want me to be specific, three months ago, this attack came from Taiwan. We need to be honest. I will be straight today. From Taiwan. And Taiwan, the Foreign Ministry also, they know the campaign, they didn’t disassociate themselves. They even started criticizing me in the middle of all that insult and slur, but I didn’t care. Three months. I say it today because it’s enough.”

The speech, and its accusation that Taiwan tacitly condoned a racist campaign, is the latest chapter in an ongoing diplomatic saga between China and Taiwan, which both leverage the issue of membership in the WHO, a UN agency, to further their own geopolitical interests. That conflict has reached a new level of intensity as the WHO, which likes to think of itself as apolitical, attempts to lead the world through one of the worst health crises in its history.
[FULL  STORY]

Irishman who had disappeared while under quarantine found dead in Taipei from apparent suicide

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/04/09
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An Irishman who had gone missing while he was undergoing home quarantine was found dead on Wednesday (April 8) in Taipei City, in an apparent suicide.

The man, who was in his 50s, had arrived in Taiwan on a flight from Vietnam on March 17 and was told to begin a 14-day quarantine. However, when police followed up he had vacated his officially listed place of residence in Taipei's Xinyi District, reported SET News.

While police were searching for him, they received a report from a resident who found a hanged man's body on a hillside, next to a vegetable garden, at 7:37 a.m. on Wednesday morning, reported ETtoday. The preliminary assessment of officers at the scene was that he had hanged himself to death.

No suicide note was found at the scene, but the man's luggage was found lying near his body. Officials ruled out the possibility his death could have been caused by the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 04/09/2020
By: Emerson Lim

Taipei, April 9 (CNA) A batch of 400,000 surgical face masks was handed over to the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) on Wednesday, the first part of Taiwan's pledged donation of 100,000 masks per week, under a joint effort with the U.S. to fight the COVID-19 coronavirus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Thursday.

Under the arrangement, the two countries agreed to assist each other with medical equipment and supplies, including 100,000 medical face masks from Taiwan per week and raw material from the U.S. to make 300,000 medical protective suits in Taiwan.

A statement on the bilateral cooperation was signed March 18 by Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and Director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Brent Christensen, and the first shipment of masks from Taiwan was delivered Wednesday, according to MOFA.

"A total of 400,000 surgical face masks for the month of April were handed over to the U.S.," MOFA said in a press release.    [FULL  STORY]