Many people catching the flu during the current peak season are suffering from second-time infections and should stay home to avoid infecting others, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.
Peak flu season began last week when many workers returned to work after the Lunar New Year holiday. Health officials warned that the number of flu infections could increase dramatically as a result of increased interaction in crowded public areas or offices.
The latest statistics released by the CDC showed that of the total number of people going to emergency rooms in the past week, 17.86 percent had flu-like symptoms, down from 26.74 percent the previous week. Despite the decrease, health officials said the flu season was not over yet and that people with flu symptoms should stay home.
“It is important to remain at home until your condition improves. Many flu patients go out when they are still sick, but because their immune system is still weak, they get infected again with other viruses and can become seriously ill,” CDC Deputy Director-General Chou Jih-haw (周志浩) said.
The CDC reported 15 critical flu cases, including three deaths, since the beginning of the flu season.
Influenza type A comprised the majority of the reported cases.
With many students returning to school this week, Chou urged parents whose children were ill to keep them at home to avoid spreading the virus. Face masks should be worn when outside as well as at home, Chou said.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
POLICY UNCHANGED? Despite Trump’s remarks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured that US policy toward Taiwan has remained consistent since the 1970s US President Donald Trump on Wednesday again refused to make clear his stance on protecting Taiwan from a hypothetical takeover by China during his presidency. Asked by a reporter during a Cabinet meeting whether it was his policy that China would never take Taiwan by force while he is president, Trump declined to give a definitive answer. “I never comment on that,” he said. “I don’t comment on it because I don’t want to ever put myself in that position.” Trump also reiterated that he has a “great relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and said that Washington welcomes good relations with
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