Chinese researchers have found the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) that is at the center of a growing epidemic in the feces and anus tissue samples of infected patients, which could suggest another way the virus is being transmitted.
A study by Wuhan University Renmin Hospital and the Chinese Academy of Sciences found that nucleic acid tests of those samples came back positive for 2019-nCoV, online news services run by the Chinese News Service reported yesterday.
The finding suggested the virus could possibly be spread through “feces-to-mouth” transmission, in addition to transmission through droplets or direct physical contact, the Chinese News Service report said, citing the study’s results presented at a news briefing in Shenzhen on Saturday.
Chang Ko (張科), head of the infection control division of Kaohsiung Municipal Siaogang Hospital, yesterday said that the Chinese finding was not surprising, given that US researchers had already found 2019-nCoV residue in feces.
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Friday said a stool sample taken from the first person confirmed in the US to have the coronavirus tested positive for the virus, Chang said.
Shih Shin-ru (施信如), head of the Research Center for Emerging Viral Infections at Chang Gung University, said that the new findings suggest preventing the spread of the virus will be more challenging, because there is another way it can be transmitted.
Local experts are advising the public to flush toilets with the lids down and to wash their hands thoroughly after going to the bathroom.
Hwang Kao-pin (黃高彬), director of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at China Medical University in Taichung, said it was not uncommon to find viruses in stool.
However, the fecal transmission path could pose a threat, because if 2019-nCoV-infected stool is splashed by water out of a toilet, the virus it carries could live for two to three hours in the air and up to five days on the surface of an object, Hwang said.
To reduce the risk of infection, toilets should be disinfected with alcohol before they are used and flushed with their lids down, in addition to washing hands with soap after going to the toilet, Hwang added.
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman
RSS