Focus Taiwan
Date: 02/02/2020
By: Chang Ming-hsuan and Chiang Yi-ching

Taipei, Feb. 2 (CNA) Taiwanese researchers have successfully extracted a sample of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), which could eventually lead to the development of a vaccine, Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said Friday.

The virus, which was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan last December, has been declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization.

As of Sunday morning, China had recorded 14,380 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 304 deaths, while nearly 160 confirmed cases have been reported in other countries around the world, including 10 in Taiwan.

According to Chen, the sample was extracted from the respiratory tract of one of the 10 patients in Taiwan, making Taiwan the fourth country, after China, Australia and Japan, to successfully isolate a sample.    [FULL STORY]