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This is another reminder that the virus easily outpaces even the most successful efforts to control it.
A patient in Taiwan has been officially confirmed to be infected with COVID-19, according to the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control. Although there have been cases of new coronaviruses imported into the country, the last national infection was registered on April 12.
According to health services, a 30- to 39-year-old woman was diagnosed with COVID-19 after contacting a “foreign pilot” who worked for a Taiwanese airline.
“She was tested and confirmed positive today,” the Centers for Disease Control said in a statement.
The fact that the virus is starting to spread again in Taiwan is sad news for the country’s authorities, who thought the fight against the mysterious virus was won.
In Taiwan, a total of only 766 people were infected with the coronavirus and seven people died. Such success is believed to have been achieved through the timely introduction of restrictions and the application of a rigorous contact follow-up strategy.
The virus was not going to stop in the world, which meant that the Taiwanese government could not relax for a moment. Since the last local case of the new coronavirus was detected in the country, compatriots returning from abroad have imported more than 300 cases.
The absence of the virus in the country meant, in a sense, that life on Taiwan, an island about 130 kilometers off the southeast coast of China, was more or less on track. As a result, most educational institutions and businesses did not close, although the use of protective masks remained mandatory.
Taiwan’s successful response to the first wave of the new coronavirus suggests that the country’s economy has suffered relatively little damage, and experts say the island is one of the few places to see growth this year, not a recession.
The highly contagious new coronavirus has recovered in most countries, believing that it has succeeded in spreading perfectly.
Several countries, such as Japan and South Korea, which have shown initial success in fighting the virus, are currently facing unprecedented challenges to the healthcare system.
Thailand, the first country to report a COVID-19 case outside of China, and New Zealand survived a hundred days off with no new domestic coronavirus cases.
Experts say that Taiwan’s decision to close its borders and strict travel controls have been a big help in overcoming the virus.
Other factors include close contact tracking, technology-based quarantine, and mandatory use of protective masks.
Furthermore, the painful experience of SARS in the past has disciplined and treated people effectively and responsibly.
“Taiwan is the only major country that has so far been able to effectively control the spread of COVID,” said Peter Collignon, professor of infectious diseases at the Australian State University School of Medicine.
According to him, “Taiwan has possibly shown the best result in the world”, which is even more impressive considering that it is an economy the size of Australia’s population, where people live quite crowded and mostly in apartments.
The decision to centrally stock and then distribute protective face masks played a key role in Taiwan’s success story. As soon as the pandemic broke out, the authorities gathered all the protective masks manufactured in the country in one place and prohibited their export.
In four months, the companies increased their production volume by 2 million. up to 20 million units per day, so the islanders were able to change their masks regularly without any problems and take care of their own safety and the safety of those around them.
The painful lessons of the recent epidemic have greatly helped Taiwan cope with this crisis. Following the SARS experience in 2003, when hundreds of people fell ill and at least 73 died (Taiwan was the third-sickest country in the world), the country established an emergency response network to control infectious diseases.
Later, Taiwan had to endure bird flu and H1N1 flu. Therefore, it is not necessary to urge islanders to wash their hands and wear protective masks.
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