The novel coronavirus or NCoV, the tentative name given to a new strain of coronavirus which was first reported in the Middle East last year, may be becoming more easily transmitted between humans and doctors should be on their guard, the Department of Health said yesterday.
First discovered in a Qatari patient in Saudi Arabia last year, NCoV is a strain of virus similar to that which caused the SARS outbreak in 2003.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said the NCoV is a respiratory tract infection and has a latency period of between seven and 10 days, and causes certain SARS-like symptoms, while some cases may be accompanied by renal failure.
The virus can be lethal, the CDC said, adding that of the 11 confirmed cases of human infection with novel NCoV, there have been five deaths since April last year.
The NCoV had at first been seen as having a limited probability of transmission between people, but on Wednesday the WHO issued the following update: “Although this case is suggestive of person-to-person transmission, on the basis of current evidence, the risk of sustained person-to-person transmission appears to be very low.”
The update followed a UK report of two citizens infected with the virus on Monday, with one of them having visited Pakistan prior to infection and displaying symptoms while in Saudi Arabia.
The patient has been confirmed as being infected with NCoV as well as with H1N1 influenza — also known as swine flu — and is the 10th reported case of the NCoV infection, the CDC said.
The CDC said the second patient is a relative of the patient in the 10th case and has no recent travel history, but had been in close contact with the other patient.
While these two cases may suggest person-to-person transmission of the virus, there have been no further cases corroborating such a view, the CDC said, adding that it would continue to monitor international news for further developments regarding the virus.
The CDC also added a call for travelers, especially those bound for or returning from the Middle East, to be careful and pay special attention to personal hygiene and sanitation, adding that those who feel unwell should inform CDC personnel at airports.
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
Taiwan and Thailand have signed an agreement to promote and protect bilateral investment and trade, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) said on Friday. The agreement on “Promotion and Protection of Investments” was signed by Representative to Thailand Chang Chun-fu (張俊福) and Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei executive director Narong Boonsatheanwong on Thursday, the OTN said in a news release. Thailand has become the fifth trading partner to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan since 2016, following earlier agreements with the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Canada, the OTN said. The deal marks a significant milestone in the development of
The entire Alishan Forest Railway line is to reopen for the first time in 15 years on Saturday, with tickets to go on sale at 2pm today. The historic railway from Chiayi to Alishan (阿里山) is finally set to reopen after the completion of the final No. 42 tunnel, Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office Deputy Director-General Chou Heng-kai (周恆凱) said. It is to run on a new timetable, with four trains daily, he said. The 9am train is to depart from Chiayi Railway Station bound for Shizilu Station (十字路), while the 10am train departing from Chiayi is to go all the
CROSS-BORDER CRIME: The suspects cannot be charged with cybercrime in Indonesia as their targets were in Malaysia, an Indonesian immigration director said Indonesian immigration authorities have detained 103 Taiwanese after a raid at a villa on Bali, officials said yesterday. They were accused of misusing their visas and residence permits, and are suspected of possible cybercrimes, Safar Muhammad Godam, director of immigration supervision and enforcement at the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights told reporters at a news conference. “The 103 foreign nationals stayed at the villa and conducted suspicious activities, which we suspect are activities related to cybercrime activities,” he said, presenting laptops and routers at the news conference. Godam said Indonesian authorities cannot charge them with conducting cybercrime. “During the inspection, we