President Tsai Ing-wen said Feb. 20 that efforts by national institutions researching the virus behind COVID-19 are already showing promising results, with progress toward producing an antiviral drug right on target.
State-backed National Health Research Institutes is heading related R&D by leveraging its biotechnological prowess and cutting-edge production facilities, Tsai said.
It can now produce Remdesivir, an experimental antiviral drug thought to be effective against coronaviruses, in milligram batches with 97 percent purity, and will proceed to gram batches in two weeks, she added.
Tsai made the remarks during a visit to the organization’s base in Miaoli County, northern Taiwan, for an inspection tour of preparedness in the face of a global outbreak of COVID-19 first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019.
According to Tsai, the NHRI is at the front line of ensuring public health and well-being, citing its contributions fighting severe acute respiratory syndrome in 2003, influenza A (H1N1) in 2005 and dengue fever in 2015.
The country’s world-leading health care system, research expertise and epidemic-prevention knowledge mean Taiwan Can Help contribute to global disease-fighting efforts, Tsai said.
The president urged the World Health Organization to invite Taiwan to take part in its activities, mechanisms and meetings, including the World Health Assembly in May, adding that health should take precedence over politics.
Statistics by the Central Epidemic Command Center under the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Centers of Disease Control reveal 26 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Taiwan as of Feb. 21, with 75,465 identified in China and 1,217 in 28 other countries and territories. (SFC-E)
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