Mask production in Taiwan is expected to nearly triple by the end of this month to meet demand generated by COVID-19, a manufacturer said on Friday.
Government recruitment has increased the number of mask manufacturers, with daily production expected to increase from 3.2 million masks per day when COVID-19 was revealed at the end of last year to 10 million masks per day by the end of this month, Changhua County-based medical products manufacturer Motex Healthcare Corp said.
“Manufacturers are working with the government to contain COVID-19, but once its spread slows, the demand for masks will slow, too, and there will be cut-throat competition,” Motex spokesperson Hsu Chih-yuan (徐誌遠) said.
Photo: Chen Kuan-pei, Taipei Times
Motex, like other companies, is raising production at the government’s request, he said, adding that it has 11 machines producing 300,000 masks per day and plans to add three more machines.
It would not normally raise production to meet short-term demand, but the masks are easy to produce and only NT$3 apiece, he said.
People have the misconception that companies are cashing in on the outbreak, but there is little money to be made, as the government is controlling everything in the manufacturing process, he said.
People only have a few options when buying a mask — such as surgical masks, dust masks, industrial masks and respirators — but masks are likely to become more comfortable, closer fitting and more effective, Hsu added.
Companies such as Motex keep production local, because they recognize the importance of having a local source for something as important as masks, he said.
Taiwan is a nation of innovators, but lacks resources, he said, adding that once the COVID-19 outbreak passes, manufacturers can produce quality masks for China, where the market is bigger and the resources greater.
Hsu praised the government’s vigorous response to COVID-19, saying that NT$200 million (US$6.7 million) was invested into mask production, administrative procedures were expedited and military personnel were offered as additional labor for mask production.
“The government is also working with manufacturers to ensure an uninterrupted supply of non-woven fabric,” he said.
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