Taiwanese inventor devises ways to reuse N95 masks, homemade alternatives

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/07/08
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taiwanese inventor of the modern N95 respirator has come out of retirement to help the U.S. in its battle against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).

Born in Taichung and a mechanical engineer and material scientist by trade, Dr. Peter Tsai (蔡秉燚) is the inventor of the electrostatic charging technology used in the N95 mask. An industrial version of the mask had originally been created by 3M in 1972, but in 1992, Tsai formed a team at the University of Tennessee (UT) to develop technology to enable the masks to protect against drug-resistant Tuberculosis, and he patented his virus-blocking technology in 1995.

Tsai retired from UT in 2019 and remained in Knoxville, Tenn, but as the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S. he came out of retirement in April of 2020 to provide consulting on ways to decontaminate the N95 mask, according to NPR. As coronavirus cases continue to spiral out of control in the U.S., Tsai recently told the Washington Post that “Everyone was asking me about the respirators.”

He said that many people are asking him how to scale up the production of the respirators and how to sterilize them for reuse. Therefore, he set up a laboratory in his own home and began experimenting with ways to decontaminate the masks.   [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 07/08/2020
By: Yeh Chen and Elizabeth Hsu

New Taipei, July 8 (CNA) A public bus company in New Taipei was fined NT$30,000 (US$1,018) Wednesday, after one of its drivers left behind two members of a family that was trying to board in Taipei.

According to a Facebook post by a woman surnamed Wu (吳), the bus driver closed the doors and drove off as soon as her 12-year-old son boarded, while she and her infant child were left stranded.

Wu said she was trying to take the bus, which is operated by the Sindian Bus Company Ltd., from downtown Taipei to her home in Xindian District, New Taipei.

When the driver drove away with her 12-year-old son on board, Wu said, she ran after the bus with her infant son on her back until she was exhausted.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 09, 2020
By: Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporter

One in five students said they would act as if nothing happened when asked what they would most likely do if they discovered that information shared with them contained errors, a King Car Cultural and Educational Foundation survey on media literacy released yesterday found.

The survey, conducted from May 15 to May 30, found that 20.9 percent of respondents said that they would act as if it “did not happen,” 64.6 percent said they would inform the person who shared it with them to prevent the information from being spread and 14.5 percent said that they would not know whether it contained errors, as they would not have verified the information.

The survey asked what students would do if they discovered that information they themselves had shared contained mistakes.

Of the respondents, 52.3 percent said that they would admit it and apologize, 22.3 percent said they would act as though it did not happen or quietly remove the information, and 25.4 percent said they have “never forwarded information.”    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 07 July, 2020
By: Shirley Lin

Volcanoes in Taiwan could erupt because they're still active[/caption] Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau is developing a new warning system to alert people about active volcanoes. That’s in light of research which has found that some of the island’s “extinct” volcanoes are actually active. 

It’s hard to imagine a volcano erupting in Taiwan! But there are actually volcanoes in Taipei, including more than 20 in the Tatun Volcano Group. And then there’s Turtle Island, located off the coast of Yilan County.

Taiwan’s top research body, Academia Sinica, says that what were thought to be extinct volcanoes are actually active. The Central Weather Bureau’s Lin Tzu-wei says there’s evidence of a volcanic eruption some 6,000 years ago. Academia Sinica says that seismic waves suggest there’s a magma chamber about 30km deep.  And like a ticking time bomb, the Tatun Volcanoes could go off at any time. And in their path? Some of Taipei’s most populated districts. Taiwan’s tallest building — Taipei 101 — is just 15km away.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: July 07, 2020

A virtual coronavirus-combating seminar involving participants from Taiwan and across Africa was staged July 6 by Taipei City-based Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) and National Taiwan University Hospital.
 
Supported by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the event detailed the Taiwan Model and core components such as border controls, 14-day quarantines and surgical mask allocations, as well as hospital procedures for curtailing transmission of the virus first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.
 
A total of 361 health officials and medical personnel from ally Kingdom of Eswatini and 12 other nations took part. These were Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Tunisia and Uganda.
 
TAITRA Chairman James C. F. Huang said such seminars demonstrate Taiwan Can Help strengthen Africa’s response to the pandemic. Sharing the country’s experiences in battling the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome is also of great instructional value, he added.    [FULL  STORY]

Country experiences rise in influenza infections amid loosened COVID-19 control

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/07/07
By: Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Members of the public in Taiwan are cautioned against letting their guard down amid a mitigated coronavirus threat as influenza cases surge, alarming medical experts.

Pai Yung-chia (白永嘉), an emergency room doctor at the Hsinchu MacKay Memorial Hospital, shared his worries about the recent surge in influenza cases in a Facebook post on Tuesday (July 7). Expressing concern about the rise of patients contracting the flu and those developing fever, he urged people to stay vigilant by putting on face masks in crowded spaces and to wash hands frequently.

His view was echoed by another medical worker, Facebook user Emily Wu, who commented that the hospital where she works is receiving complaints about the still rigorous controls in place over the rules for visiting the sick. People were upset about the “trouble” the hospital has caused given the loosening of many disease prevention restrictions at the national level, she said.

Taiwan has gone 85 days without local infections as of July 7, with the caseload standing at 449. Nevertheless, the COVID-19 virus remains a potent threat as a resurgence of outbreaks is reported worldwide. Globally, confirmed cases have surpassed 11 million as of July 7, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 07/07/2020
By: William Yen

British artist Tom Rook working on his map of Hamasen, a historic area of Kaohsiung[/caption] Taipei, July 7 (CNA) A British artist who makes hand-drawn maps of urban areas in Taiwan said Tuesday that he endeavors to record details that will create special memories for the people of those cities.

Tom Rook, 32, from Exmouth, had drawn some 17 detailed maps of modern and historical Taiwan cities, highlighting their layout and buildings.

"I don't want to sort of just gloss over peoples' existence," said Rook, who has been living in Taiwan for almost 10 years. "I would like people to see where they came from and where they live. I figure it will mean something to more people if they can exactly see their houses, place of work, or where they got married."

His collection of maps includes drawings of Tainan and Taipei in the 1940s, and also modern Taipei, Taichung, Hsinchu, and Chiayi cities. In each one, the roads, buildings and other structures are drawn in fine detail, giving a sense of the urban aesthetics.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 06 July, 2020
By: Leslie Liao

The goddess of the sea — Mazu — is one of the most popular deities in Taiwanese religion. Temples around Taiwan keep statues of the goddess — sometimes more than one idol per temple! The faithful will bring those statues out on religious processions, most notably in honor of her birthday. And when those processions intersect, bringing two of  the statues face-to-face, it can be a joyous occasion. 

This year, two Mazu proxies met for the first time in 14 years!

It’s pilgrimage season in Taiwan, and temples around the island are taking their idols of the sea goddess Mazu out for a stroll. Worshippers from the Baishatun Gongtian Temple in Miaoli have carried their Mazu idol in this palanquin, to Dajia Zhenlan Temple nearly 30 kilometers away. 

The palanquin-bearers gear up for the home stretch and make a break for the temple doors. This is the first time in fourteen years that the Mazu idols of Gongtian and Zhenlan temples meet. It’s a historic event, and the size of the crowd shows just how significant it is. 
[FULL  STORY]