Taiwan COVID-19 News Brief: May 15

Taiwan reported on Sunday 68,769 new COVID-19 cases, including 68,732 domestic and 37 imported, as well as 19 deaths, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

Here are some of the new developments regarding the COVID situation around Taiwan Sunday:

Oral Medication for individuals 65 and above

The CECC said that following discussions with local municipalities, individuals 65 years old and above with a positive result from a rapid test will soon be able to be prescribed oral medication following a consultation with a doctor.

The new policy means medication rules will be loosened and prescriptions more readily available for seniors to prevent their condition from deteriorating.

In addition, the “3+4” isolation protocol could be loosened, the CECC said, with a final decision to be made as soon as possible.

MOE COVID-19 response

The Ministry of Education (MOE) said it will issue 500,000 rapid tests to city and county governments, universities and vocational schools across the country on Monday.

The rapid tests are part of the MOE’s COVID-19 response pledge, which, to date, has seen the ministry disburse about 1.5 million rapid tests to schools across the country.

In response to education groups calling for elementary and junior high schools to suspend in-person learning for two weeks or until the end of the current semester, the MOE said it will follow CECC policies and adjust protocols accordingly.

Currently, the MOE’s protocols for distance learning differ between grades, but are all centered around the number of COVID-19 cases in schools.

Meanwhile, Taoyuan’s education bureau announced it has procured 200,000 nasal rapid tests and 100,000 saliva-based rapid tests to be distributed to the city’s schools.

The saliva-based tests were ordered mainly for preschool children as it is more challenging to apply nasal test on them, the bureau said.

City and county vaccination incentives

To incentivize seniors to get fully inoculated or receive a second booster shot, several cities and counties plan to offer cash vouchers and free rapid tests.

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said that Kaohsiung citizens who are 65 and above will receive cash vouchers valued at NT$500 (US$17) if they complete four vaccination shots before the end of May.

An additional NT$200 voucher will also be given to those 65 and above when they complete their third and fourth shots, which means senior Kaohsiung residents can receive up to NT$700 in incentives.

Meanwhile, Pingtung County Government said it will give NT$500 to individuals who are 65 and over if they get inoculated by the end of May.

In Tainan, Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) said that with the second booster policy set to come into effect on Monday, those who are 65 and above will receive a free COVID-19 rapid test if they get their fourth shot by the end of May.

Taipei’s new drive-through COVID-19 testing site

Taipei City Government and Taipei Veterans General Hospital announced that a third drive-through COVID-19 testing site will officially open at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Tuesday.

The four-lane drive-through testing site will start a trial run and open to online registrations on Monday afternoon, before officially launching services on 8 a.m. Tuesday.

The four lanes include one for people who arrive on foot, one for scooters and two for cars. Of the two car lanes, one is a carpool lane reserved for vehicles with more than two people in them.

Pediatricians will be on site to help administer the PCR tests to younger children.

New policies for Kaohsiung infant care centers

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai said as infants who are two years old and under are not vaccinated, and infant care workers are in constant close contact with them, a class at a care center must close for seven days whenever a COVID-19 positive case is detected.

In addition, all close contacts must take a PCR test as soon as possible.

Taitung consolidates aid to long-term care centers

With infection clusters reported in long-term care centers in Taitung, the county has initiated its COVID-19 response protocol to provide such centers with aid, including rapid tests, N95 masks and hazmat suits.

Additionally, about 2,500 medical masks have also been included and sent to elderly care centers.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

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