The Department of Health is upgrading its influenza prevention measures by expanding the government’s distribution of antiviral medications, after a flu virus claimed three more lives last week.
Supplies of Tamiflu and Relenza, enough for about 5 million people, have been distributed to 1,300 hospitals around the nation to deal with the increasing number of patients with influenza, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) deputy director-general Chou Jih-haw (周志浩) said.
At the request of the Bureau of Medical Affairs, 23 public hospitals managed by the department are establishing special influenza clinics from today, with other hospitals following suit in the near future, Chou said.
Photo: Tsai Shu-yuan, Taipei Times
A total of 72 new influenza cases were confirmed last week, with the virus claiming the lives of two women aged 96 and 98, and a man aged 60.
Chou said the elderly women had been vaccinated, but they died after the flu virus developed into pneumonia because of their weak immune systems.
Compared with the same period last year, the flu outbreak this year has been less severe. From last July to this month, a total of 295 diagnosed influenza-related cases and 14 deaths had been reported. In comparison, the number of flu cases diagnosed was 691 between July 2010 and January last year, with 69 fatalities.
However, CDC officials said that the number of patients with influenza-related symptoms admitted to hospital emergency departments reached 16,000 during the week ending Sunday, in contrast with 11,000 the previous week.
CDC officials warned the public to take the relevant precautions, as the influenza season is predicted to peak during the Lunar New Year holiday period.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to