Taiwan’s government is working flat out to strengthen the country’s capabilities in containing a potential outbreak of pneumonia stemming from the new coronavirus first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan, Vice Premier Chen Chi-mai said Feb. 14 while visiting a public hospital in New Taipei City.
According to Chen, patients’ travel history has been successfully integrated into the National Health Insurance Administration database, allowing frontline doctors to see whether their patients have traveled to China, Hong Kong or Macau. This effort was made possible through collaboration between the Ministry of the Interior’s National Immigration Agency and the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Centers for Disease Control, he added.
Following an inspection tour of the hospital’s outbreak preparedness, Chen applauded the work of medical personnel around the country in effectively containing coronavirus cases and diligently treating those in need. He also thanked the public for complying with prevention measures ranging from rationing of surgical masks to self-health monitoring.
Statistics by the Central Epidemic Command Center under the CDC reveal 18 confirmed cases of the virus in Taiwan as of Feb. 15, with 66,492 identified in China and 585 reported in 27 other countries and territories. (TYT-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw