Taiwan's rising death toll from severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, has lost it its status on the WHO list of SARS-affected areas as one of "limited local transmission" and now shares the unenvied status of an "affected area," along with other SARS blackspots such as Hong Kong and Beijing.
The reclassification came in the WHO's report Thursday, on the international SARS epidemic.
The WHO defines an affected area as a region at the first administrative level where the country is reporting local transmission of SARS within the last 20 days.
Apart from Taiwan, Toronto, Beijing, Hong Kong, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Tianjin, Mongolia's Ulan Bator and Singapore are also classified as affected areas.
The Cabinet, which is convening inter-ministerial meetings on fighting the epidemic on a daily basis, reported yesterday the death toll from SARS had risen to five with three more deaths from complications of the disease.
"These five cases died directly from SARS. On top of this, another three people have died of SARS-related diseases," said Lee Lung-teng (
Lee said although coronavirus has been found in samples from the other three cases, the people did not die directly from SARS.
As some taxi drivers and hairdressers have been suspected of being infected with the disease even though they have no contact history with SARS patients, Lee was asked whether community spread of the disease has taken place.
"We cannot answer this question because we are still not clear about their contact or travel histories," Lee said.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), as of yesterday afternoon, probable SARS cases have risen to 100, with 25 people having been discharged from hospitals and five fatalities.
Suspected cases have increased to 97, with 45 having been discharged from hospitals. Reported SARS cases nationwide were 509, according to the CDC.
Lee said that around 200 reported cases came from Taipei Municipal Hoping Hospital and Jen Chi Hospital.
Lee also appealed to the public not to rush to buy N95 particulate surgical masks, which are now in short supply. The special surgical masks are designed to be used in a healthcare setting; it was not necessary for members of the public to wear such masks, he said.
Meanwhile, Johnnason Liu (
"However, even though they have been isolated in the hotel, they continued their reporting activities. The council has asked them to stop their reporting activities. If they do not, they will be deported, he said.
Also see stories:
Doctor fights on SARS frontline
Health official warns reporters not to take risks
Yulon offers aid, supplies for war against disease
Haitians panic over the arrival of ROC warship
Disease prevention bill passes
Alleged `superspreading' couple speak out
‘TAIWAN-FRIENDLY’: The last time the Web site fact sheet removed the lines on the US not supporting Taiwanese independence was during the Biden administration in 2022 The US Department of State has removed a statement on its Web site that it does not support Taiwanese independence, among changes that the Taiwanese government praised yesterday as supporting Taiwan. The Taiwan-US relations fact sheet, produced by the department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, previously stated that the US opposes “any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means.” In the updated version published on Thursday, the line stating that the US does not support Taiwanese independence had been removed. The updated
‘CORRECT IDENTIFICATION’: Beginning in May, Taiwanese married to Japanese can register their home country as Taiwan in their spouse’s family record, ‘Nikkei Asia’ said The government yesterday thanked Japan for revising rules that would allow Taiwanese nationals married to Japanese citizens to list their home country as “Taiwan” in the official family record database. At present, Taiwanese have to select “China.” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the new rule, set to be implemented in May, would now “correctly” identify Taiwanese in Japan and help protect their rights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The statement was released after Nikkei Asia reported the new policy earlier yesterday. The name and nationality of a non-Japanese person marrying a Japanese national is added to the
AT RISK: The council reiterated that people should seriously consider the necessity of visiting China, after Beijing passed 22 guidelines to punish ‘die-hard’ separatists The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has since Jan. 1 last year received 65 petitions regarding Taiwanese who were interrogated or detained in China, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. Fifty-two either went missing or had their personal freedoms restricted, with some put in criminal detention, while 13 were interrogated and temporarily detained, he said in a radio interview. On June 21 last year, China announced 22 guidelines to punish “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists,” allowing Chinese courts to try people in absentia. The guidelines are uncivilized and inhumane, allowing Beijing to seize assets and issue the death penalty, with no regard for potential
‘UNITED FRONT’ FRONTS: Barring contact with Huaqiao and Jinan universities is needed to stop China targeting Taiwanese students, the education minister said Taiwan has blacklisted two Chinese universities from conducting academic exchange programs in the nation after reports that the institutes are arms of Beijing’s United Front Work Department, Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) published yesterday. China’s Huaqiao University in Xiamen and Quanzhou, as well as Jinan University in Guangzhou, which have 600 and 1,500 Taiwanese on their rolls respectively, are under direct control of the Chinese government’s political warfare branch, Cheng said, citing reports by national security officials. A comprehensive ban on Taiwanese institutions collaborating or
RSS