Mon, Jun 14, 2021
The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported 174 local COVID-19 infections and 26 deaths. As the daily case count yesterday was the lowest since a nationwide level 3 COVID-19 alert was issued on May 19, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said: “We are glad to see the case counts gradually falling, but we must remind everyone that they cannot relax yet.” The cases are 79 males and 95 females, from under the age of five to older than 90, he said, adding that they began experiencing symptoms from May 23 to Saturday. Chen said most of the infections were reported in New Taipei City, with 81 cases, followed by Taipei with 62, Taoyuan with 16, Keelung with seven, Changhua County with four, Hsinchu County with two, and Taichung and Hualien County with one case each. The center also reported 26 deaths due to COVID-19 — 15 men and 11 women who were aged from their 50s to older than 90. Twenty-one of them had underlying health conditions and the health histories of the remaining five are being investigated. Four of the fatalities tested positive in post-mortem examinations, CECC data showed. Asked about a doctor’s remark that people with COVID-19 might be at acute risk of death or sudden death not only from silent hypoxia, but also from pulmonary embolism, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), deputy chief of the CECC’s medical response division, said that other countries have reported COVID-19 deaths with pulmonary embolism. Studies indicate lower rates of pulmonary embolism in Asian populations than among Caucasians, but there were a few cases among COVID-19 patients in Taiwan, he said, adding that the patients have almost recovered and are about to be discharged from hospital. They experienced difficulty breathing or low blood oxygen levels from
ACCOUNTABILITY: Biden’s scheme to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative is part of a wider drive for G7 leaders to question China on human rights, Taiwan and COVID-19 The G7 group of rich nations has agreed on plans to set up an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative as part of a broad push back against Beijing covering human rights, supply chains, support for Taiwan and demands to reveal more about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, some G7 leaders, including Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, the current chair of the G20, have urged US President Joe Biden not to push competition with China to the extent that it prevents cooperation on other vital issues such as the climate crisis. The EU is also pressing the US to back a legally binding code of conduct for the South China Sea that Beijing has been negotiating with regional powers. According to an almost finalized version of the G7 summit communique, the G7 leaders called on China to respect human rights in the Xinjiang region and allow Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy. “We will promote our values, including by calling on China to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, especially in relation to Xinjiang and those rights, freedoms and high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong enshrined in the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law,” the G7 said. The G7 underscored “the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and encourage the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues.” “We remain seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas and strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo and increase tensions,” it said. US officials said that Biden had been pushing the other G7 leaders for “concrete action on forced labor” in China and to include criticism of Beijing in the final communique. Japan said that it backed mention of Taiwan in the final statement. “This is not just about confronting or taking on China, but until
Protests against the construction of a Chinese university in Budapest have energized the Hungarian opposition ahead of elections next year, and forced the government into a rare U-turn. Outrage at plans to build a campus of Shanghai’s Fudan University became a rallying cry for the opposition, drawing thousands to protest in defiance of government regulations. Protests of more than 500 people are illegal, on COVID-19 prevention grounds, although huge crowds can gather at soccer matches, so organizers planned multiple small protests across Budapest, which came together outside the Hungarian National Assembly in Kossuth Square. The project has allowed opponents of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to turn the nationalist rhetoric he has deployed so successfully in the past few decades against his own government. “The Fudan University issue is about whether we will be a free nation,” Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony told the crowd, which was thousands strong. Protesters carried signs saying “Hungarian money for Hungarian universities” and “We will not be a colony.” It was a show of strength that apparently alarmed the government. Overnight it changed position, to offer a referendum on the Chinese university, but said that it would be held only after the general elections. “This is a novel situation. It’s the first time that any Chinese investment has become a high-level political issue in Hungary,” said Peter Kreko, and analyst at the Political Capital think tank. “The government seemed to be pretty committed to go along with this project, until it saw it could be an electoral issue.” He said the government has a track record of pausing controversial ideas until it feels less politically vulnerable, in this case after the election. “It’s pretty sure that if they are re-elected they will re-implement it,” he said. Krisztina Baranyi, a Budapest district mayor, had grabbed global attention for the fight against the Fudan
The Israeli parliament yesterday opened a special session during which lawmakers were set to vote on a “change” coalition seeking to end Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12-year reign. Beloved as “King Bibi” by his right-wing supporters and condemned as the “crime minister” by his critics, the hawkish and combative Netanyahu has long been the dominant, and increasingly divisive, figure in Israeli politics. If the fragile eight-party alliance wins a majority in the 120-seat Knesset, Netanyahu, 71, would be replaced as premier by his one-time ally Naftali Bennett, a former tech millionaire and right-wing Jewish nationalist who leads the Yamina party. In the leadup to the legislative session, coalition lawmakers — united only over their shared disdain for Netanyahu — met for closed talks, a Yamina spokesperson said. The diverse anti-Netanyahu bloc was cobbled together by opposition leader Yair Lapid, a former TV presenter, and includes right-wing and left-wing groups, as well as Arab-Israeli lawmakers. The upcoming crunch vote would either end Netanyahu’s record time in office or, in case of a last-minute upset, return Israel to a stalemate likely to trigger the fifth general election since 2019. “A morning of change,” promised a tweet by Lapid, who would serve as foreign minister under the coalition deal before taking over the premiership in 2023, provided the wobbly alliance survives that long. Meanwhile, Netanyahu tweeted a photograph of himself with a message to supporters that said: “Love you, thanks!” Netanyahu, who is battling corruption charges in an ongoing trial he dismisses as a conspiracy, has been the dominant Israeli politician of his generation, having also served a previous three-year term in the 1990s. On Saturday night, about 2,000 protesters rallied outside his official residence, waving “Bye Bye Bibi” signs and celebrating what they hoped would be his departure from office. “For us, this is a big night, and
ROLLING OUT DOSES: The expansion aims to speed up Taiwan’s vaccination drive by making more Moderna jabs available to workers at hospitals, the CECC said The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday expanded the eligibility for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to all healthcare workers and non-healthcare workers in the highest vaccine priority group. The center said that 75,000 doses of the vaccine — half of the first batch Taiwan has received — were on Wednesday distributed to hospitals across the nation with specialized COVID-19 rooms, negative pressure wards and testing services. Thus far, they had only been offered to frontline healthcare workers and non-healthcare workers at the designated hospitals, it said. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said that the eligibility was expanded to speed up the vaccination process. All people in the first priority group, including “registered healthcare workers and non-healthcare workers at hospitals, clinics and other healthcare facilities,” as well as “non-healthcare workers at centralized quarantine facilities” were eligible, he said. A total of 6,171 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and 9,507 doses of the Moderna vaccine had as of Friday been administered across the nation, CECC data showed. The AstraZeneca vaccine and the Moderna vaccine use different types of technology, so it does not recommend that a person be given one jab of one brand and another of the other brand, unless a serious allergic or adverse reaction occurs after the fist inoculation, the center said. On Friday, the CECC said that 500,000 doses of a batch of 1.24 million AstraZeneca vaccines donated by Japan had been distributed to local governments, and could be administered to eligible people in the top six priority groups. The vaccinations should begin on Tuesday next week, Chen said yesterday, adding that people in the top three priority groups who have not received a first dose would be eligible. Long-term care center workers and residents, and dialysis patients would also be eligible, he said, adding that the doses would
The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported 250 new local COVID-19 cases and 26 deaths. The local cases are 116 males and 134 females, aged from younger than five to older than 100, who began experiencing symptoms between May 28 and Friday, said Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center. Most new cases were reported in northern Taiwan, with 133 in New Taipei City, 65 in Taipei, 16 in Keelung and 13 in Taoyuan, Chen said. Miaoli recorded nine new cases; Hualien had three; Hsinchu, Taichung, and Yilan and Changhua counties had two each; and Yunlin County and Kaohsiung had one case each, he added. Among the 26 deaths reported yesterday, 17 were men and nine women, who were aged from their 40s to older than 100, Chen said. Twenty-four of them had underlying health conditions, one had no comorbidities and one case is being investigated, CECC data showed. Some of the new cases contracted the disease while being in contact with an infected person for just a short time, Chen said, adding that multiple infections within the same household were also common. The daily case count has remained between 200 and 300 for several days, indicating that the pandemic situation has neither worsened rapidly nor improved significantly, Chen said. People should remain vigilant, Chen said, adding that one of the center’s main goals is to detect infections as quickly as possible by expanding rapid COVID-19 testing. While rapid testing at healthcare facilities and companies have been approved, a few local distributors have applied for importing at-home test kits. Deputy Minister of the Interior Chen Tsung-yen (陳宗彥), who is deputy head of the CECC, said that the center apologizes for causing inconvenience to commuters and delivery drivers affected by ramp metering controls implemented to discourage traveling during the Dragon Boat Festival extended weekend. The center
BOLOGNA BOOK FAIR: The Taiwan Creative Content Agency’s theme for the Taiwan Pavilion, which has 298 publications from 64 publishers, is ‘To live is to create’ A virtual pavilion featuring the works of Taiwanese artists is being presented by the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair this year, the agency said on Saturday. The Italy-based event is not only a platform dedicated to the international children’s book trade, but also leads the latest trends in global illustration, the agency said. In its 59th year, the fair is to be held online from today through Thursday, it said. Curated by TAICCA, the theme of the Taiwan Pavilion is “To live is to create.” The key visual of the online presentation was designed by illustrator and designer Croter Hung (洪添賢), the agency said, adding that 298 publications recommended by 64 publishers are displayed in the virtual pavilion. “This year, we’re not only promoting Taiwan’s illustration and publishing industries to the world, but also incorporating cross-industry collaboration,” TAICCA chief executive officer Lee Ming-che (李明哲) said. Taiwanese children’s books and illustrations have performed exceptionally at this year’s fair, the agency said. Lin Lian-en’s (林廉恩) Home, published by the Papa Publishing House, received the prestigious Bologna Ragazzi Award in the fiction category, it said. Animo Chen’s (阿尼默) Love Letter (情批), published by Locus Publishing, received special mention in the poetry category of the Bologna Ragazzi Award, it said. This year’s official selection at the fair includes 77 artists selected from among 3,235 applicants, it said. Eight of them are Taiwanese: Chang Hsiao-chi (張筱琦), Huang Yu-chen (黃右禎), Hsueh Hui-yin (薛慧瑩), Huang Yi-wen (黃一文), Cho Pei-hsin (卓霈欣), Dai Wei-chun (戴維君), Chen Yi-chin (陳怡今) and Chen Wei-hsuan (陳瑋璿), it said. Two other Taiwanese artists — Poppy Li (李品萱) and Chang Tzu-chun (張梓鈞) — were featured in the “Children Spectators” section, it said, adding that they were among 35 illustrators who won a competition to be included this year. The agency said that it is partnering with the Animation and
SUSPENDED SENTENCE: The Taipei District Court said that Lin Chih-chien, a National Security Bureau colonel, received a lighter sentence, as he confessed and cooperated The Taipei District Court on Friday convicted 14 defendants of corruption and tax evasion for bringing undeclared cartons of duty-free cigarettes into Taiwan on President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) return flight from a state visit to the Caribbean in 2019. Convicted on breaches of the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例), Wu Tsung-hsien (吳宗憲) and Chang Heng-chia (張恒嘉), majors in the National Security Bureau (NSB), received prison terms of 10 years and four months, and 10 years and two months respectively. Article 4, Item 4 of the act prohibits “using government vehicles to transport contraband or carry goods for tax evasion.” Former China Airlines Ltd (CAL) chartered flight division vice president Chiu Chang-hsin (邱彰信) was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison after being found guilty of tax evasion under the Tax Collection Act (稅捐稽徵法). Lin Chih-chien (林志建), an NSB colonel serving at the Special Service Command Center — the highest-ranking officer in the case — received a suspended prison term of six months. Lin was given a lighter sentence because he confessed and cooperated with investigators, the decision said, adding that he also paid the NT$330,000 (US$11,943) in evaded taxes to the national treasury. Six NSB sergeants who worked as drivers at the Special Service Command Center were sentenced to prison terms ranging from seven years to six years and two months for their part in transporting the contraband cigarettes. “The defendants abused their authority, ignored their duty to obey our nation’s laws, and used government vehicles and equipment for personal gain,” the decision said. It was the first ruling and can be appealed. On July 22, 2019, NSB agents accompanying Tsai on an overseas trip attempted to smuggle 9,200 cartons of cigarettes worth NT$6 million into the nation. The cigarettes were ordered from CAL’s online duty-free store on July 8, three days before Tsai embarked on the trip, and they
The Yunlin County Government is rounding up aggressive stray dogs in the county after a 90-year-old woman was attacked by strays on Monday last week. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), said that she was on her way to work in the family field when one dog rushed her and then a pack of seven to eight dogs attacked her. Chen tried to chase them away without success, she said, adding that she was bitten on her calves and the soles of her feet. Her relatives said that she could not fight the dogs away and if passers-by had not helped her chase the dogs off, “something unthinkable” might have happened to her. The county government and agencies must do something to handle the stray dogs, they added. On Wednesday, Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine Director Liao Pei-chih (廖培志) said that the bureau was rounding up all of the aggressive dogs and would relocate them. Stray dogs reportedly attacked a man in the riverside park of Yunlin County’s Beigang Township on June 4, and people took a video showing two separate incidents in which about 10 stray dogs had a person surrounded. At least four people have been injured in attacks by stray dogs, said Wu Chun-mei (吳春美), warden of the township’s Dongyang Borough (東陽), adding that she forwarded the video to the county government and submitted a request for the county to deal with the strays. Additional reporting by Huang Shu-li
Like many humans, Emma has had her travel plans derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but after months of delay, the white rhino has arrived in Japan and is looking for love. The five-year-old comes by way of Hsinchu County’s Leofoo Safari Park, where she beat a herd of competitors for the chance to find a companion and breed. She had been scheduled for transfer to the Tobu Zoo in Tokyo’s Saitama Prefecture in March. “After some delays due to the coronavirus, Emma, a southern white rhino, arrived at our zoo on the evening of June 8,” the Tobu Zoo said. “We slowly opened the shipping container that had been placed in front of her sleeping room. Emma, without showing any signs of shyness, went straight into the sleeping room.” The rhino used the extra time in Taiwan to prepare for the move, with keepers using Japanese for words like “come” and “no” to get her ready for her new home. Safari staff said that she was picked from a herd of 23 rhinos because of her even temper and slender physique. “Emma was chosen because of her mild personality ... and her smaller size also makes it easier to ship overseas,” park chief veterinarian and animal manager Sean Wu said earlier this year. “She seldom gets into fights with other rhinos or snatches others’ food.” She is expected to be on show to the public in Japan for several weeks, but she also has the more serious business of getting acquainted with her first suitor: 10-year-old Moran. Zoo breeding programs have played a key role in repopulating southern white rhino herds. The species numbers about 19,000 rhinos found in the wild across southern Africa, the conservation group Save the Rhino said. Their northern cousins were not so lucky. Only two remain, both female, rendering the species functionally extinct. Leofoo Safari Park
Consumer disputes regarding online games are the second-most common after disputes over transportation, with account theft the top complaint, the Executive Yuan’s Consumer Protection Committee said on Wednesday last week. The number of disputes has grown steadily since last year, likely because more people are staying indoors during the COVID-19 pandemic, senior consumer ombudsman Wang Te-ming (王德明) said, predicting that the number would continue to rise as the pandemic continues. More than 1,440 disputes have so far been filed this year, in addition to more than 3,600 from last year, committee statistics showed. Of those filed last year, 1,177 were over allegedly stolen accounts, while 1,102 were over canceled refunds, the data showed. Additionally, 277 disputes were over poor Internet connections, more than 100 were over in-game item theft and more than 140 were for underage purchases, the data showed. The highest amount disputed was about NT$100,000 that a teenager spent on game tokens, the committee said. Once a player realizes that their account or in-game item has been stolen, Wang said that they should first contact the game company to confirm the theft, and suspend the account or item. However, if the player did not use free security features supplied by the company, it might not be responsible for providing compensation or restoring lost items, Wang added. If a player wishes to cancel their subscription, they have the right to submit a written request to the company within seven days of opening the account, he said, adding that no reason needs to be given. Players may also request refunds for any unused store credit and request a subscription cancelation at any time, Wang said. The company must then refund unused credit or fees within 30 days, although it has no obligation to refund game tokens or items, he added. However, the committee also reminded players that these rights only apply
PLEADING FOR HELP: Income from business ventures and donations are down to about one-third compared with last year, one Taipei-based foundation said Level 3 COVID-19 restrictions have had a severe impact on many sectors, but none are facing a greater crisis than social welfare organizations, which are struggling to operate without steady donations and orders. Taipei residents with Down syndrome usually have the choice of more than 50 workshops where they can learn skills and receive guidance from professional instructors. However, many of the workshops were forced to close last month due to a COVID-19 outbreak, leaving families to worry about the safety of their loved ones. Some parents have to care for their special needs children while simultaneously working from home, leaving them exhausted. Social organizations play an important role in helping stabilize families, Down Syndrome Foundation chairman Lin Cheng-hsia (林正俠) said yesterday. “However, we have to face the fact that we are also affected by the pandemic,” he added. Fundraising figures were down 35 percent year-on-year last month, foundation data showed. More than 1,000 orders for its popular snack boxes were lost due to cancelations during the Dragon Boat Festival long weekend and because of delayed weddings, causing losses of up to NT$1 million (US$36,191), the foundation said. Sales of a pandemic snack box made especially for people working from home are also lagging, it added. Handmade biscuits in the boxes are to expire soon, the foundation said, urging people to order online or offer cash support through donation boxes at supermarkets. The Yu-Cheng Social Welfare Foundation also sent out a call for help amid lackluster orders. Its workshops in Taipei have restaurants, car washes, bakeries, printers and other services run by people with Down syndrome, all of which have been affected by the pandemic. With graduation ceremonies and awards ceremonies canceled, the foundation said it has lost nearly all of its bakery and printing orders this month. Demand at its car washes is also dramatically down as people remain at home, it
‘PASSING THE BUCK’: Postal services have been crucial amid the pandemic, but the government has done nothing to help workers but issue slogans, the union said The Taiwan Postal Industry Union on Saturday urged its members to return their medals and commemorative stamps to protest poor treatment, calling the honors a “slap in the face” at a time when their demands are not being heard. Postal workers have since last year been fighting on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic by shipping equipment such as sanitizer and masks, and distributing stimulus vouchers, the union said on Facebook, adding that their urgent requests have continued to go unheeded. Postal workers have been calling for Saturdays off, shorter work hours, extended delivery times, suspension of advertising mail and payment on delivery, and COVID-19 vaccine prioritization to keep them safe, it said. Without these allowances, 13 postal workers have to date tested positive for COVID-19, it added. The government last year issued medals and first day covers to thank postal workers and other “behind-the-scenes heroes,” yet these “cheap honors” have done nothing to help their situation, it said, adding that he only thing the government has increased are its calls to “band together through these hard times.” Since a nationwide level 3 COVID-19 alert was imposed last month, post offices that were short-staffed are under even greater pressure to meet surging demand for home deliveries, it said. Distributing a new round of stimulus checks has also fallen to postal workers, who “keep getting pushed into battle for no reason other than obligation,” it added. The Central Epidemic Command Center’s (CECC) vaccine distribution strategy, announced on Wednesday last week, left individual ministries to decide which essential staff would be included in the seventh priority group. However, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications has only passively indicated that it would compile a list, the union said. “The ministry is not just keeping silent, it is passing the buck for 526,000 people onto the CECC,” it said. “Is this how
The importation of two types of COVID-19 home testing kits has been approved, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Saturday. Three companies that applied for a license to import the kits — “SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Self Test Nasal” by Swiss biotechnology firm Roche and “Check It COVID-19 Test Kit” by US firm Lucira — have been granted approval, FDA Medical Devices and Cosmetics Division specialist Lin Hsin-hui (林欣慧) said. Lin said she expects that it will take at least a week for the products to become available to Taiwanese customers. The FDA is to issue guidelines on how to conduct home testing before the kits enter the market, Lin added. The products require users to swab inside their nose, with Roche’s kit testing for COVID-19 antigens and Lucira’s kit testing for the virus’ nucleic acid, she said. If people test positive in a home test, they should go to a government-run COVID-19 testing site or a licensed medical institution for a polymerase chain reaction test to confirm whether they have the disease, she said. Only licensed vendors of medical equipment, such as pharmacies, can sell the home test kits, and they cannot be sold online, Lin said. The approval was granted after Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) on Monday last week announced that the government was considering allowing the self-tests to boost Taiwan’s COVID-19 screening capacity. Following a surge in local COVID-19 cases in the middle of last month, the government set up testing sites in virus hot spots, such as Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as industrial parks across Taiwan after cluster infections in factories were reported.
Domestically developed COVID-19 vaccines should complete phase 3 clinical trials before being administered to members of the public, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) said yesterday in a video message, adding that he would be willing to take part in such a trial. Chiang said he believes that a majority of Taiwanese would be willing to support Taiwan-made COVID vaccines, adding that their effectiveness and safety, and whether they can become internationally certified, are major points of concern for many Taiwanese. Vaccines are for saving people, he said. To raise confidence among the public in the vaccines, phase 3 clinical trials based on international standards should be conducted before the vaccines are widely administered, he said, adding that if those trials are conducted, he would consider participating. Successful phase 3 trials would also help the vaccines be approved internationally, Chiang said. Chiang criticized the government’s focus on vaccine distribution, saying that at a time when the nation is short of vaccine doses, the government should not focus on who should receive the jabs first. In other countries, the focus is placed on convincing people who have not been vaccinated to get inoculated quickly, he said. The government should work toward procuring enough doses of effective vaccines and allow people to choose which vaccine brand they want to be inoculated with, Chiang said. Taiwanese do not want the government to shift the focus away from the vaccine supply issue and engage in a “witch hunt,” Chiang said. Separately yesterday, Chiang wrote on Facebook that he supports the domestic biotechnology industry, but is opposed to President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) policy “only giving people one option.” COVID-19 vaccines widely used around the world, such as those by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca, completed phase 3 trials, Chiang said, calling the practice “the mainstream international standard.” “I am willing to give my arm
DIFFICULTIES: Start-ups might not qualify for conventional relief measures, as they are small, often have yet to generate revenue and operate in a range of sectors The government is planning measures to support local start-ups after a rise in COVID-19 infections in Taiwan, National Development Council Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said after attending a videoconference with several industry representatives on Friday. Local start-ups face more difficulties when applying for relief funds or subsidies, as well as when securing credit lines from banks, because they are generally smaller, have not yet started to generate revenue, or their business models or operational schemes do not qualify for relief funds based on current policies, the council said. SERIOUSLY AFFECTED As a result, start-ups tend to be more seriously affected by the pandemic than other businesses, the council said. To help start-ups overcome the difficulties, the government is planning to provide more relief funds to struggling start-ups, allow for a more flexible interpretation of financial subsidies for such firms and help start-ups in their investments, the council said. The council said it held discussions with the management committee of the Executive Yuan’s National Development Fund, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and representatives from small and medium-sized enterprises to make more start-ups eligible for relief funds, offer them high credit guarantees and provide them with higher loan amounts or more favorable interest rates. Considering local start-ups’ urgent need for funds, the government would also simplify follow-up administrative procedures for such firms, the council said. FLEXIBILITY As the business scope of some start-ups covers multiple industries, which has made it difficult to categorize and qualify them for relief funds, Kung said he has negotiated with the economics ministry and related government agencies to handle start-ups that have been negatively affected by the pandemic in a more flexible manner. Early last year, when COVID-19 was starting to take hold worldwide, the council presented a special investment option to help local start-ups, offering six to 12 months of funding in exchange for preferred
‘BENEFICIARIES’: Acer said sales of Chromebooks rose 30.1 percent annually and those of gaming products rose 15.3 percent, while Asustek’s sales rose 40.36 percent Acer Inc (宏碁) and Asustek Computer Inc (華碩) last week reported strong sales for last month thanks to demand for notebook computers spurred by teleworking and distance learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The companies’ operations have continued to improve since last year, as the pandemic has resulted in lifestyle changes, with remote and video communication becoming essential and prompting companies to speed up digital transformation, while PCs have become an indispensable tool in people’s daily lives. Acer’s consolidated sales reached NT$24.81 billion (US$897.9 million), up 22.9 percent year-on-year, but down 0.6 percent month-on-month, the company said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that last month’s figure was the highest for the period in seven years. The company attributed the annual increase to Chromebooks for distance learning, whose sales increased 30.1 percent year-on-year, and gaming products for home-bound consumers, which posted an annual sales increase of 15.3 percent. For the first five months of this year, sales totaled NT$121.31 billion, up 36.6 percent from a year earlier, Acer said. As orders for PCs have continued to exceed its supply, Acer said it would work closely with supply chains, as component supply remains a key factor to its shipments this year. Asustek’s sales increased 40.36 percent year-on-year and 5.7 percent month-on-month to NT$38.58 billion last month, the highest May sales figure in the company’s history, it reported on Wednesday. Cumulative sales in the first five months reached NT$183.19 billion, up 66.16 percent from a year earlier and also the highest for the same period, it said. The companies’ sales were also boosted by a nationwide level 3 COVID-19 alert announced on May 19, which has led to strong pandemic-related demand, especially for notebook computers and Chromebooks, Yuanta Securities Investment Consulting Co (元大投顧) analyst Calvin Wei (魏建發) wrote in a note on Thursday. “Asustek and Acer are the major beneficiaries
An announcement by ASE Technology Holding Co (ASE, 日月光投控) ordering its migrant workers to move from private rented accommodation to company dormitories is in line with Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) regulations, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said on Saturday. The “temporary measures” adopted by the IC packaging and testing company “are in accordance with epidemic prevention requirements set by the CECC,” the ministry’s Industrial Development Bureau said in a statement. By stepping up regulation of worker accommodation, the company hopes to prevent more migrant workers contracting COVID-19, the statement said. The statement did not specify which CECC regulations the company was following. A set of guidelines released by the CECC in March advising companies how to operate in the event a COVID-19 outbreak does not mention dormitory management. Guidelines issued by the bureau on Monday last week state that companies operating assembly lines should divide workers into groups. Different groups should use different restrooms, locker rooms and shuttle buses, and those in the same group should live in the same dormitory or building, if such accommodation is provided by the company, the bureau’s guidelines say. The statement came after the Guardian on Friday reported that ASE had ordered migrant workers who are employed at its plant in Taoyuan’s Jhongli District (中壢) and living in private rented accommodation to move back to company dormitories immediately or face a “major demerit.”
A nationwide level 3 COVID-19 alert issued on May 19 has disrupted people’s lives and caused worry about vaccine eligibility amid a shortage of doses in Taiwan. Fortunately, interim results released last week by Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp for the phase 2 clinical trials of its vaccine candidate raised hopes for locally developed shots. Medigen told a videoconference that its vaccine candidate has a seroconversion rate of 99.8 percent, meaning almost all participants in the trials displayed virus-specific immune responses after getting a shot. Only 0.7 percent of vaccinated participants developed a fever, while other side effects — such as muscle soreness and tiredness — were limited, indicating that Medigen’s vaccine candidate poses no major safety concerns. Still, whether the Medigen vaccine is effective against COVID-19 requires additional research. The WHO has yet to establish a common standard for COVID-19 vaccines, and the Food and Drug Administration grants emergency use authorization (EUA) to vaccines only after evaluating data from at least 3,000 subjects and receiving efficacy results that are at least on a par with the AstraZeneca vaccine. The efficacy data — crucial to gaining EUA approval in other countries — were not part of Medigen’s interim results. The phase 2 trials show whether there are differences between the participants who received the vaccine candidate and those who received a placebo. Phase 3 trials would determine how effective the vaccine is against COVID-19. Nevertheless, even as people with opposing viewpoints debate the soundness of developing local vaccines when the government is still procuring doses from overseas, the “unblinding” of the Medigen data gave a significant boost to people’s confidence in domestic vaccines, as shown by online opinion polls released over the past few days. The positive results so far have given people hope, even if it is still too early to say whether Medigen’s vaccine
Over the past year, scores of gargantuan Chinese sand dredgers have deployed themselves in territorial waters off the Taiwanese-administered Matsu Islands, where their activities erode beaches and ruin fishing shoals. These Chinese ships are mercenary; a small 5,000 ton ship could sell a load of sand for the equivalent of US$55,000 to Fujian construction firms — or to the People’s Liberation Army for use in building its artificial reefs in the South China Sea. They also frustrate Taiwan’s government, which tries unsuccessfully to cooperate with Beijing on environmental stewardship of their contiguous waters. Each day, Taiwanese Coast Guard vessels can nudge perhaps two Chinese ships from Matsu’s waters. One day last year, a Matsu coast guardsman told the Reuters news agency and the Financial Times, hundreds of the massive sand dredgers infringed Matsu’s waters, but the Taiwan coast guard was only able to impound two of them. For all of 2020, nearly 4,000 Chinese dredgers were identified in Matsu’s waters, but only a few hundred were confronted. Beijing’s government, which professes to cherish the ocean environment, polices its own coastline yet encourages Chinese vessels to harass Matsu and other Taiwan-administered islands off the China coast. Although Taiwan’s Coast Guard is modern, professional and well-equipped, it is in no position to challenge the locust plague of Chinese vessels in the absence of Beijing’s enforcement of its own coastline. I am sure Washington is perplexed by Beijing’s priorities which stress harassment of Taiwan over global environmental cooperation. And there is some concern in the Biden Administration that Beijing’s behavior is intended to provoke Taiwan in a way that might justify a retaliatory crisis. To my friends and colleagues in Washington, I would offer a few perspectives on the Taiwan-administered offshore islands. It’s not what it looks like. Through the 1950s and 1960s, the names “Quemoy and
When the administration of then-US president Jimmy Carter in 1978 decided to normalize relations with China, Beijing’s principal condition was that Washington terminate diplomatic relations with the Republic of China. Since then, the US-China relationship has increasingly been characterized by friction — if not outright tension — over a host of strategic issues. At the same time, the US’ connection with Taiwan has steadily grown stronger, even without the benefit of official ties, based on the shared values between the two societies. Both are democratic political systems that cherish human rights and the rule of law, while committed to fostering peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region. Recent developments have brought the two countries even closer. After Taiwan took action early and effectively to control the then-emerging COVID-19 pandemic, the nation earned the gratitude of Americans by donating millions of masks and other protective equipment. Last year, Taiwan ranked as the US’ ninth-largest trading partner, with two-way trade totaling US$91 billion. An ongoing shortage of advanced integrated circuits also made more Americans aware of the vital importance of Taiwan in the production process for US high-tech manufacturers. However, without official diplomatic recognition, maintaining a solid and productive bilateral relationship has been a constant challenge. Success has been achieved only because of the two sides’ willingness to depart from traditional international practice to embrace some innovative approaches. After diplomatic ties were terminated in 1979, with inadequate plans in place for a new mechanism to replace them, the US Congress swiftly passed the Taiwan Relations Act to declare its continued interest in Taiwan’s security and ensure that it is treated the same as any other foreign entity under US law. It is the only piece of legislation ever enacted to specifically govern how the US conducts its relations with another government. Now
OPPORTUNITY: After winning a Symetra Tour title last month, Lee was in position to become the first to follow a Symetra victory with an LPGA Tour win in her next start Taiwan’s Min Lee on Saturday capped a stellar outing by rolling in a 15-foot putt for a birdie on 18 to grab a two-shot lead heading into the final round of the LPGA Mediheal Championship. Lee birdied three of her final four holes, including the par-five 18th, for a four-under-par 68 and a total of nine-under 207. “I just tried to play my game and tried to be smart on the golf course, because the golf course is very hard,” Lee said. “There are some pin placement that you want to be on the fat side of the green if you miss it.” The 26-year-old Lee also made birdie on the par-three 17th hole and the par-five 15th at the Lake Merced Golf Club outside San Francisco. Lee is trying to win for the first time on the LPGA Tour. She won the Mission Inn Resort and Club Championship two weeks ago in Florida on the developmental Symetra Tour with an eight-under-par 211, putting her in position to become the first player to follow a Symetra Tour victory with an LPGA Tour win in her next start. “I don’t really thinking about making a record or breaking a record or something,” Lee said. “I just try to play my game. I play well, that’s good and everything comes together.” Fellow Taiwanese Hsu Wei-ling, who won the Pure Silk Championship last month, was tied at 39th place with a one-over 217. She had birdies on the fourth, seventh and 18th holes, but shot bogeys on the fifth, eighth, 13th, 15th and 16th, leaving her with a two-over 74 in the third round. Finland’s Matilda Castren, who shot a 69, and Lauren Kim (71), are tied for second. The 26-year old Kim has exceeded her expectations coming into the week. “Oh, gosh, probably pretty nervous,” she said after being asked what
Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen remained in hospital, but is in “stable” condition after collapsing in his country’s Euro 2020 game against Finland on Saturday, the Danish Football Union (DBU) said yesterday. “This morning we have spoken to Christian Eriksen, who has sent his greetings to his teammates. His condition is stable, and he continues to be hospitalized for further examination,” the soccer body posted on its official Twitter account. The DBU also said that the team and staff had “received crisis assistance and will continue to be there for each other after yesterday’s incident.” The Inter Milan star suddenly collapsed in the 43rd minute of Denmark’s opening Euro 2020 game against Finland, lying motionless as medical personnel administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation. He was lying on the field for about 15 minutes before being carried off the pitch on a stretcher and rushed to a hospital. The Group B game — just the third of the month-long tournament, which began a year behind schedule on Friday — was stopped just before halftime with the score goalless and suspended for nearly two hours before restarting. After the shocked teams joined in a group huddle, the Finns claimed a 1-0 win in their first major tournament match, with Joel Pohjanpalo scoring the winner on the hour mark. UEFA said the decision to restart was made “following the request by players of both teams,” and supporters cheered as the game recommenced. Earlier, Eriksen’s teammates were in tears as they formed a circle of red shirts around the stricken 29-year-old midfielder as the medics worked to save his life. He was later able to speak to his teammates. “We’ve been in contact with him, and the players have spoken to Christian. That’s the great news. He’s doing fine, and they are playing the game for him,” DBU director Peter Moeller told Danish television. Eriksen was voted man
Barbora Krejcikova yesterday completed a singles-doubles title sweep at the French Open, when she lifted the women’s doubles trophy with compatriot Katerina Siniakova, beating Iga Swiatek and Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-4, 6-2. Krejcikova on Saturday defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 at the conclusion of only her fifth appearance in a Grand Slam singles main draw. Krejcikova became the first player to win both the women’s singles and doubles title in Paris since France’s Mary Pierce completed the feat in 2000. The 25-year-old Krejcikova, who will climb to 15th in singles following her maiden Grand Slam singles title, would return as the world No. 1 doubles player when the rankings are updated on today. The newly crowned champion hailed her mentor and former Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna who died in 2017, saying: “At the end of her life, I had to be there.” After Saturday’s final, Krejcikova said she owed her success to Novotna, who died of cancer at age 49. “When I was 18, I actually finished juniors, I didn’t really know what to do. I went to her house with my parents. She was always very nice. We just had a really special bond,” Krejcikova said. “She taught me so many things that I just felt at the end of her life I have to be there. I just have to really support her,” she added. Novotna won 24 singles titles in her career with the 1998 Wimbledon trophy the highlight. The new champion said she learned many life and sport lessons from the world No. 2, whose own best run in Paris ended in semi-final losses in 1990 and 1996. “She told me like: ‘I have a court on Thursday in this club at this time. If you want to come, you can come, we can look at you, have a hit,’” Krejcikova said. “I was sick for one
Taiwan’s Wang Yi-ta on Saturday qualified to compete at the Tokyo Olympics after taking second at the World Karate Federation’s men’s final qualifier in Paris, saying he hopes to clinch a medal at the Games. The 29-year-old Wang follows Wen Tzu-yun, who last month received a quota allocation to compete in the Games in the women’s karate competition. After a final series of round-robin matches involving four competitors, Wang, the 2018 Asian Karate Championships runner-up, finished second in men’s kata with four points, following Ariel Torres Gutierrez of the US, who scored six points. Iran’s Abolfazl Shahrjerdi and South Korea’s Park Hee-jun, who both lost to Wang with two points, were the other two qualifiers. Park ended the tournament third, winning the final spot at the Games. Wang said he was not performing at his best until the semi-final, and had hoped to finish first. However, overall, he said he had done his best in the competitions and did not regret the results, adding that he hoped to win a medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Wang won a silver at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia and gold at the 2019 National Games in Taoyuan. Having become a father last year, Wang said he cherished the little time he had with his family during his training. “My fatigue from the day actually went away after I saw my wife and child,” he said.
PRISONERS OF WAR: The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Azerbaijan handed over 15 detained Armenians in exchange for a map showing 97,000 mines Azerbaijan on Saturday released to Armenia 15 prisoners of war captured last year during hostilities over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Baku said. The ministry also said that under the deal mediated by Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, Yerevan reciprocated by providing Baku with maps of minefields in the conflict zone. Fighting broke out between Azerbaijan and Armenia in September last year over Nagorno-Karabakh, claiming about 6,000 lives over six weeks. The war ended in November with a Russian-brokered ceasefire, under which Yerevan ceded swathes of territory that it had controlled for decades. On Saturday, “Azerbaijan handed over to Armenia 15 detained Armenians in exchange for the map of 97,000 anti-tank and anti-personnel mines in the Agdam district,” one of the territories that Armenia ceded to Baku, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The ministry also thanked US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, US Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia Philip Reeker, European Council President Charles Michel and Sweden’s chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) for their roles in the negotiations. “Our brothers returned to their families thanks to the efforts of Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, our Georgian brothers, as well as our partners from the US and EU,” Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told journalists. He said that he had earlier “provided Azerbaijan with a certain number of minefield maps through Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov.” Garibashvili’s office said in a statement: “An important step has been made toward the amelioration of the security environment in the South Caucasus region.” A senior EU diplomat said that Michel helped broker “parallel humanitarian gestures” prior to the agreement’s announcement. Michel said that he considered it “a first step toward renewing confidence, an effort the EU is ready to fully support.” Russia, which
‘STRONGLY CONDEMNED’: The protesters were arrested for failing to produce proof of identity and disorderly conduct, while at least 10 others were summoned The Hong Kong Police Force has arrested at least three democracy advocates on the anniversary of pro-democracy demonstrations in 2019 that rocked the territory and eventually led to the Chinese government imposing a National Security Law that critics say has stifled dissent. The democracy advocates were arrested for failing to produce proof of identity and disorderly conduct, while at least 10 people were summoned for contraventions of a ban on gatherings, police said, after protests in the Kowloon district of Mongkok and the chanting of slogans in breach of the national security legislation, which was implemented in June last year. Some people blocked streets by filling them with garbage cans and other objects, police said. “The police strongly condemn protesters’ acts endangering public health and safety,” police said in a post on Facebook shortly before midnight on Saturday. The three arrested were young men aged 15 to 19, police said. On Saturday, small groups gathered to commemorate the first major clashes between protesters and police two years ago when tens of thousands demonstrated against a proposed law that would have allowed criminal suspects to be extradited to China for trial. Many Hong Kong residents saw the proposed law as further erosion of the territory’s special status that was supposed to be guaranteed under a “one country, two systems” formula agreed when Britain handed it over to China in 1997. The 2019 demonstrations snowballed over subsequent months into a mass movement for democracy that included regular clashes between protesters and police, who fired tear gas and rubber bullets. Police deployed 2,000 officers around Hong Kong on Saturday, the South China Morning Post reported. Police said on the eve of the anniversary that they had arrested two people on suspicion of promoting and inciting others to join an unlawful assembly. Advocacy group Student Politicism said that two of its leaders were arrested. There
Saudi Arabia on Saturday said that it would allow 60,000 residents vaccinated against COVID-19 to perform this year’s hajj, but Muslims from abroad would be barred for a second consecutive year. The hajj — a requirement for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lives — typically packs millions of pilgrims into congested religious sites and could be a major source of contagion amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This year it would be “open for nationals and residents of the kingdom, limited to 60,000 pilgrims,” the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said, quoted by the official Saudi Press Agency. The pilgrimage, scheduled to be held next month, would be limited to those who have been vaccinated and are aged 18 to 65 with no chronic illnesses, it said. Only up to 10,000 Muslims took part in last year’s hajj, a far cry from the 2.5 million people who participated in the five-day annual pilgrimage in 2019, before the pandemic. “In light of what the whole world is witnessing with the coronavirus pandemic ... and the emergence of new variants, the relevant authorities have continued to monitor the global health situation,” the ministry said. “Considering the large crowds that perform hajj, spending long periods of time in multiple and specific places ... requires the highest levels of health precautions.” Saudi Arabia said that those wishing to perform the hajj would need to apply online, without specifying how many foreign residents would be among the 60,000 pilgrims. Last year, foreigners made up 70 percent of the pilgrims, while Saudis made up the rest. The kingdom said that it had informed other countries of the decision not to allow pilgrims from abroad. “There was great understanding,” Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah Abdulfattah bin Sulaiman Mashat told a news conference. “Arrangements for this were based on the kingdom’s keenness on the
The outbreak of COVID-19 among the tech firms in Miaoli County — a complete failure by the brokers, firms and the local and central government, any one of whom could have taken action to prevent it — has triggered a serious outbreak of another endemic disease: racism towards migrant workers. The firms themselves led the way, sending around circulars that warned the workers that they would have to pay for their own COVID-19 care should they become infected. One circular I saw even said that workers who contract the virus will be liable for any harm they cause the firm. The Ministry of Labor has sternly warned that such moves are illegal. SLAVE LABOR This outcome was what many of us had feared when news of the initial cluster in Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華) broke: any excuse to place more restrictions on migrant workers. Because the underlying treatment of migrant workers is driven by the capitalist love of slave labor and the deep racism constructed and harnessed to serve that need, many of the firms and brokers instituted lockdowns more stringent than the Level 3 regulations called for. Because of their reflexive, abusive nature, these were often ill-considered and counterproductive. At one dorm I know of, which Apple Daily reported on, the workers had been restricted to washing clothes between 10am and 2pm, meaning that 30 to 40 people were crammed into the laundry at any moment during that time, a clear health risk. In another dorm the broker circulated rules forbidding anyone from leaving, saying that shopping could only be performed by designated shoppers. Most dorms have forbidden overnight stays (if they hadn’t already). Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who has done yeoman work in putting up with the silly questions from the media over the last few
When the Asian American Student Union at a Connecticut high school organized a Zoom call following the killing of six Asian women in Atlanta, senior Lily Feng thought maybe 10 or 15 classmates would attend. When she logged on, more than 50 people from her school were online. By the call’s end, nearly 100 people had joined. Seeing her peers at Farmington High School turn out for the conversation — one piece of a student-led effort to explore Asian American identity issues — made her realize how much they wanted to listen and learn about a topic that is often absent from the curriculum. “Our Asian American and Pacific Islander community members, they want their voices to be heard,” said Feng, co-president of the student group that also has brought in speakers, hosted panels and created lessons about Asian American history. “They are almost desperate to be speaking about it. This is so heavy, this is heartbreaking and it was a space for them to really voice that.” As students push for more inclusive curriculum, some lawmakers, educators and students themselves are working to address gaps in instruction and fight harmful stereotypes by pushing for more Asian American history to be included in K-12 lesson plans. Illinois would become the first state to require public schools to teach Asian American studies if the governor signs a bill that cleared the state Legislature. Lawmakers have proposed similar mandates this year in Connecticut, New York and Wisconsin. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, an Illinois representative, said she sponsored the bill in response to the increasing anti-Asian violence and rhetoric. Growing up, she said she knew little of the discrimination her family had faced in earlier generations because it wasn’t taught in school and her family did not openly speak about it. “I think, like a lot of Asian families, their response
June 14 to June 20 During the early 1990s, tens of thousands of Taipei residents subscribed to an illegal cable service named “Shinganxian” (新幹線). With over 140 employees, it was the largest among more than 40 similar operations in the capital. For a relatively cheap price, people could sign up for up to 37 channels ranging from Buddhist seminars to WWE wrestling to X-rated movies. Otherwise they were limited to the government-approved “old three channels” (老三台): Taiwan Television, (TTV), China Television (CTV) and Chinese Television System (CTS), which were established between 1962 and 1971. According to a 1991 Commonwealth Magazine (天下雜誌) article, an estimated one out of 10 families in Taiwan had access to these underground services, commonly known as the “fourth channel” (第四台). Even though cable was legalized in 1994, many people today still use the term to refer to the service. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) launched the underground Democracy TV (民主電視台) in March 1990 to “counter the three channels’ pro-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) broadcasting.” The government shut it down after a month, but it persisted through more than 20 cable channels. DPP politicians and activists continued to push for the right to establish a fourth television station. The government eventually relented in January 1995, and Formosa TV (FTV) was inaugurated in June 1997. UNDERGROUND NETWORK Although the three channels were legally private companies, they were at least partially owned and run by the KMT. TTV was the first to go on air in 1962, with the Taiwan Provincial Government as majority owner. CTV was launched in 1968 by the KMT-owned Broadcasting Corp of China, and finally CTS was born in 1971 through a joint-initiative by the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Education. As Taiwan’s economy took off in the 1960s, people had more time and money to pursue leisurely
A: Ah, I was going to make zongzi for this year’s Dragon Boat Festival, but I think I’m going to have to shelve those plans, because of the pandemic. B: Yeah, if you want to buy the ingredients and the bamboo leaves, you’ll need to go to a traditional wet market and risk the crowds. We should probably just do as we’ve been told and stay home. A: We have a bit of leftover rice in the fridge, and some dishes we didn’t finish from the last couple of days. Do we need to cook anything new today? B: Look, we also have a few eggs. Why don’t we make some egg fried rice? A: 唉，今年端午節本來想包粽子，因為疫情的關係只好放棄。 B: 對呀，要買各種餡料和粽葉，還得去傳統市場，群聚的風險太大了，我們還是乖乖待在家比較好。 A: 冰箱裡有一些剩飯，還有這兩天吃剩的菜，我們今天還要煮新的菜嗎？ B: 你看，這裡還有幾顆蛋，我們來做蛋炒飯好了！
San Francisco may have become the first major American city to hit herd immunity to the coronavirus, experts say. San Francisco is still recording a small number of coronavirus cases, about 13.7 per day, said Dr George Rutherford, professor of epidemiology at University of California San Francisco, but they don’t appear to be gaining enough of a foothold in the population to trigger wider outbreaks. “That is what herd immunity looks like,” Rutherford said. “You’re going to have single cases, but they’re not going to propagate out.” Health officials still lack agreement on exactly what percentage of the population must be immune to COVID-19 to achieve the much-vaunted status of “herd immunity,” when so many people have antibodies against the virus that it can no longer spread widely through the community. Throughout the pandemic, the vaccination goals to hit herd immunity have been a moving target, a briefing from Yale School of Medicine notes, with experts initially estimating that the virus would have difficulty spreading if 60 to 70 percent of the population was immune. With several variants in circulation, some of which are more contagious, the estimates have been climbing. Many experts now estimate that herd immunity will be achieved when 80 to 90 percent of residents have been vaccinated. San Francisco has been close to that target. Nearly 80 percent of San Francisco residents eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine have received at least one shot, according to data from the city’s health department, and 68 percent are fully vaccinated. (The Guardian) 專家表示，舊金山可能已成為美國第一個達到對冠狀病毒群體免疫的主要城市。 加州大學舊金山分校流行病學教授喬治‧盧瑟福醫師說，舊金山仍有少量冠狀病毒病例出現，大約每天十三點七例，但這些病例似乎並不足以在人群中引爆更大的疫情。 「這就是群體免疫的樣子」，盧瑟福說，「會有零星的病例，但它們不會蔓延出去」。 對COVID-19免疫的人要到底要達到人口中多少比例，才能達到備受吹捧的「群體免疫」狀態──即許多人對該病毒具有抗體，而讓病毒無法繼續在社區大肆傳播──衛生官員仍未有一致的意見。 耶魯大學醫學院的一份簡報指出，對於要達到群體免疫所需接種疫苗的目標數量，因應疫情而始終在變動。專家最初估計，若百分之六十至七十的人口免疫，病毒將難以傳播。現已有數種變種病毒，有些傳染力更強，因此估算出來，應達到的目標一直在提高。許多專家現在估計，當百分之八十至九十的居民接種了疫苗後，就會達到群體免疫。 舊金山已接近了這個目標。根據該市衛生部門的數據，有資格接種冠狀病毒疫苗的舊金山居民中，近百分之八十至少接種了一劑疫苗，百分之六十八的人已完整接種了疫苗。 （台北時報林俐凱編譯）
Spring and summertime in Taiwan is gestation time for many different species of bats. Bats like to choose secluded areas with access to plenty of food in which to perch during gestation. Taipei Zoo is home to many Japanese house bats — a common sight in big cities — but signs of the much rarer Formosan woolly horseshoe bat can also be found in many places within the zoo. Researchers at the zoo were recently fortunate enough to observe first-hand an infant Formosan woolly horseshoe bat’s development as it went through the process of learning to look after itself independently. According to the zoo, using an identification ring on its wing, researchers discovered that a particular Formosan woolly horseshoe returns to the same cave within a display area of the zoo every year during springtime to gestate. Mother bats hold their newborn pup in front of their chest and wrap both their wings around it to protect it. They will occasionally allow their pup to hold on by itself and have a go at spreading its wings. During the growth phase, an infant bat will stay close to its mother’s side to learn how to forage for food and pick up general life skills. This continues until the bat is able to look after itself independently; only then will the mother leave the cave. The zoo said that on one occasion researchers observed that when the mother bat they were monitoring returned to the cave and tried to hug her two-month-old infant, the baby bat began to respond vigorously and emit social interaction sounds, showing that it was beginning to reject its mother and was preparing for independence. The researchers were surprised and delighted to be afforded the rare opportunity to record the interaction between a mother bat and her infant, and
| New Taipei City | 27-32 | 0% |  |
| Hsinchu County | 27-31 | 0% | |
| Hsinchu City | 27-31 | 10% | |
| Taipei City | 26-32 | 0% | |
| Miaoli County | 27-31 | 10% | |
| Taoyuan City | 26-32 | 0% | |
| Keelung City | 26-31 | 0% | |
| Yunlin County | 25-30 | 20% |  |
| Taichung City | 26-32 | 20% | |
| Nantou County | 25-31 | 20% | |
| Changhua County | 26-31 | 20% | |
| Chiayi County | 26-31 | 20% | |
| Chiayi City | 25-31 | 20% | |
| Tainan City | 28-31 | 40% |  |
| Kaohsiung City | 27-32 | 40% | |
| Pingtung County | 26-31 | 30% | |
| Yilan County | 25-30 | 0% | |
| Hualien County | 25-29 | 0% | |
| Taitung County | 26-30 | 10% | |
| Kinmen County | 27-29 | 10% | |
| Penghu County | 27-29 | 20% | |
| Lienchiang County | 25-28 | 0% | |
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