The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday said that it would use the name “Wuhan pneumonia” when communicating with the public about the disease caused by the previously-named 2019 novel coronavirus, after the WHO on Tuesday officially named the virus “COVID-19.”
The virus was first detected in Wuhan, China.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva, Switzerland, that “co” stands for corona, “vi” for virus and “d” for “disease,” while “19” denotes the year 2019, as the outbreak was first identified in December last year.
The name was chosen to avoid references to specific geographical locations, animal species, an individual or group of people, and prevent the use of other names that might be stigmatizing, he said.
The WHO last month temporarily named it 2019 novel coronavirus, while the Chinese National Health Commission had temporarily called it “novel coronavirus pneumonia,” and many news reports called it the “Wuhan coronavirus.”
The CECC yesterday said that it would also adopt the name COVID-19 to be in line with international information published by the WHO.
However, it would continue to call it “Wuhan pneumonia” when announcing disease information to the public for better understanding, it said.
Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said the decision was made because people are used to calling the disease “Wuhan pneumonia,” so they might be confused by the name COVID-19.
The official name for the illness as a notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan — “severe pneumonia with novel pathogens” — is too long for people to remember, Chuang added.
In related news, the Taiwan Blood Services Foundation on Tuesday urged three types of people to postpone donating blood for at least 28 days: those who have returned from China, Hong Kong, Macau or Singapore; people who have recovered from COVID-19; and people who have come into direct contact with infected people.
It also urged people who have developed a fever and respiratory infection or pneumonia symptoms after donating blood to see a doctor and contact the blood center as soon as possible.
GEOPOLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The CGA’s nonmilitary role makes it a tool to avert diplomatic issues, an official said, while confirming the donation of a ship to Manila Coast Guard Administration (CGA) ships are scheduled to sail to the Philippines bearing the words “Taiwan Coast Guard” in a high-profile visit in October next year, the first such visit by a Taiwanese maritime law enforcement vessel to the Southeast Asian nation, the agency said yesterday. The CGA also confirmed that it had donated one of its decommissioned patrol vessels to the Philippines in a rare transfer of a retired ship to a nondiplomatic ally. The Republic of China (ROC) Navy last made such a visit in 1974, shortly before the Philippines switched diplomatic recognition to the People’s Republic of China in
‘GLOBAL WARNING’: The infiltration is not just a local problem, as Beijing has been deploying the same tactics worldwide against Western democracies, a report said Between 50,000 and 100,000 Chinese spies are operating in Taiwan, far more than the National Security Bureau’s previous estimate of 5,000, German journalist and author Jurgen Kremb said on Monday. Kremb presented his research, titled “The War of Spies: How China’s Intelligence Services Are Infiltrating Taiwan — and What Europe Must Learn from It,” at a joint event held by the Taiwan offices of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation and the European Values Center for Security Policy. The report was published in June in the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau’s Prospect & Exploration Monthly (展望與探索月刊). By spies, he said he was referring to informants,
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More than 100 Taiwanese-Americans, Taiwanese lawmakers and members of civic groups on Saturday marched through New York City to call for Taiwan’s participation in the UN, with Marshall Island Permanent Representative to the UN John Silk joining the event to show support. Participants chanted: “UN for Taiwan” and “Keep Taiwan Free” as they marched through central Manhattan, passing Times Square and Bryant Park before ending near the New York Public Library. The annual march brought together Taiwanese community groups from across the US East Coast. Silk expressed hope that Taiwan would one day be able to participate in UN meetings
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