Focus Taiwn
Date: 02/28/2020
By: Chang Min-hsuan and Ko Lin

Taipei, Feb. 28 (CNA) The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Friday reported two

new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), which brings the total number in Taiwan to 34.

The 33rd confirmed case of COVID-19 infection was a man in his 30s from northern Taiwan, who recently traveled to Japan, the CECC said.

He was with 21 other people as part of a local tour group that visited Osaka between Feb. 17 and Feb. 22, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the CECC, told reporters at a press briefing in Taipei.

According to Chen, the man developed a cough and itchy throat on Feb. 25, a few days after his return to Taiwan, and decided to seek medical attention the next day when his symptoms persisted.    [FULL  STORY]

WORK IN PROGRESS: The bureau said that it is removing sensitive information, such as intelligence sources, agent names and intelligence shared by overseas governments

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 29, 2020
By: Chen Yu-fu and Jake Chung  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNA

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said that she has instructed the National Security Bureau (NSB) to declassify files requested by the Transitional Justice Commission within one month, with the exception of the few that cannot be published due to legal restrictions.

Tsai made the remark in a speech at a ceremony in Taipei commemorating the 228 Incident, a crackdown launched by the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime against civilian demonstrators following an incident in Taipei on Feb. 27, 1947.

Regarding the files the commission has requested — such as those relating to the deaths of political activist Lin I-hsiung’s (林義雄) family members and Carnegie Mellon University assistant professor of statistics Chen Wen-chen (陳文成) — the bureau must “maximize transparency and minimize restrictions” for public use, she said.

The government’s efforts to promote human rights education would continue, Tsai said, adding that the Control Yuan’s soon-to-be-established national human rights commission should endeavor to ensure that the concept of human rights takes root in Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 27 February, 2020
By: Jake Chen

Taiwan’s government will invest NT$90 million (nearly US$3 million) in a bid to double the nation’s

production of surgical face masks. That’s the word on Thursday from Cabinet Spokesperson Kolas Yotaka. She said the goal is to ensure that there will be enough masks to go around in the event that they are needed. 

Demand has skyrocketed following the global outbreak of COVID-19. The government is rationing masks, allowing adults to buy just two per week. The maximum for children 13 and under is four per week.    [FULL  STORY]

UPI
Date: Feb. 27, 2020
By: Elizabeth Shim

Feb. 27 (UPI) — Chinese authorities said the first known patient of the new coronavirus in Wuhan had no connection to Huanan Seafood Market, which authorities have previously said is ground zero for COVID-19, according to Taiwanese press reports.

Eastern Broadcasting Co. and Liberty Times reported Thursday that China's first patient had shown symptoms of COVID-19 as early as Dec. 8. Chinese authorities have previously said the outbreak began on Dec. 31.

The statement from the Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention published in Taiwanese news media marks the first time Chinese authorities have provided an alternative explanation of the source of the deadly outbreak.

Rumors have been circulating on Chinese social media that the first known patient did not get sick after making contact with the virus at the seafood market. The virus has been linked to Wuhan Institute of Virology, but the institute has denied the outbreak began among lab technicians, including a woman identified as Huang Yanling. Huang was rumored to be "patient zero."    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 02/27/2020
By: Chen Wei-ting, Chang Ching-feng and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Feb. 27 (CNA) American drug maker Gilead Sciences is expanding clinical trials of its investigational antiviral drug, remdesivir, for the treatment of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) into several Asian countries outside China, including Taiwan, in March, according to a statement issued by the biotechnology company.

From March, the trials assessing remdesivir in 1,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients will mainly be conducted at medical centers in Asian countries impacted by the coronavirus outbreak, including Taiwan, according to the statement.

The studies will assess two dosing durations of remdesivir, administered intravenously.

One of the trials will enroll randomly approximately 400 patients with severe clinical manifestations of COVID-19 to receive either five or 10 days of remdesivir, while the second trial will involve about 600 patients with moderate clinical manifestations, who will receive five or 10 days of remdesivir or standard care, according to the statement.    [FULL  ST-ORY]

COMPLICATED SITUATION: The head of the Jenn Lann Temple said that he could not have unilaterally canceled the event, as it involves many people and other temples

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 28, 2020
By: Shelley Shan  /  Staff reporter

The annual Dajia Matsu Pilgrimage has been postponed to comply with government measures

aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19, Jenn Lann Temple (鎮瀾宮) chairman Yen Ching-biao (顏清標) said yesterday, after sparking criticism on Wednesday for his insistence on holding the event.

Approximately 1 million people participate in the pilgrimage each year, with believers and visitors embarking on a 340km journey through central Taiwan and visiting more than 100 temples dedicated to the goddess Matsu along the route.

Yen had previously said that people should not be afraid to participate, because they would be protected by Matsu and other deities, while temple vice chairman Cheng Ming-kuen (鄭銘坤) said that the event would be canceled if Taichung was locked down because of the disease.

Yen yesterday apologized in a Facebook video to all followers of Matsu for having to postpone the event.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 26 February, 2020
By: Paula Chao

The interior ministry is calling on the organizers of one of Taiwan’s largest Mazu processions to come up with an alternate plan in case the event needs to be postponed. That’s amid growing fears over the new coronavirus COVID-19.

Mazu, the Goddess of the Sea, is one of the most popular deities in all of Taiwan. Each year, Mazu processions attract as many as a million people.

The Dajia Jenn Lann Temple holds one of the nation’s largest processions. Deputy Interior Minister Chen Tsung-yen on Wednesday urged the temple to come up with a plan B. He said that several religious activities have already been postponed or cancelled in order to avoid cluster infections.    FULL  STORY]

Taiwan’s example proves that the free flow of information is the best treatment for the coronavirus outbreak.

The Diplomat
Date: February 27, 2020
By Victor (Lin) Pu

The novel strain of coronavirus (officially dubbed COVID-19) that originated in Wuhan, China has spread to almost 30 countries, including regional neighbors like South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, and countries as far away as the United States, Canada, and Brazil. As of February 26, more than 81,000 cases have been confirmed worldwide, and the death toll has surpassed 2,700, mostly in China. The epicenter of the virus crisis, China, has been suffering socially and economically not only on account of the virus, but also because of the Chinese government’s problematic policies.

The Chinese government has been working to tackle the coronavirus outbreak by using multiple measures to contain the spread of the virus as well as information about the outbreak. Most famously, the government imposed an extreme quarantine in Wuhan on January 23, which is still in place over a month later. Many cities in Hubei province and elsewhere in China have also implemented lockdowns or restrictions while cases of infection continue to increase.

Besides these measures in the physical world, the Chinese government has attempted to quarantine discussion of the epidemic in the realm of public opinion. From the first appearance of the new virus last December to the lockdown of massive cities in mid-January, the Chinese authorities chose to restrict public access to the information about the epidemic by silencing people, most famously the whistleblower Doctor Li Wenliang. In the early stages of the outbreak, the Chinese government issued a statement asserting that “the disease is preventable and controllable,” and announcements sent by Chinese officials to World Health Organization (WHO) office in Beijing claimed that there was no evidence of the disease being transmitted between humans.    [FULL  STORY]

No more than 2 simultaneous visitors per patient: CECC

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/02/26
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – No more than two people will be allowed to enter hospitals to visit the same patient at the same time in a bid to prevent mass outbreaks of Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced Wednesday (Feb. 26).

One of Taiwan’s most recent cases of the virus was an 11-year-old boy who might have been infected by his grandfather, case No.27, during a visit to the hospital. On Wednesday, the CECC announced that a foreign caregiver who worked with the same man at the hospital also tested positive for the virus.    [FULL  STORY]