A command center was put into commission yesterday by the Taichung City Government to integrate medical resources in the central part of the country to best prevent large-scale SARS infections from happening in the region.
The Executive Yuan's anti-SARS campaign leader Lee Ming-liang (
"We will try to prevent the area surrounding Taichung from falling victim to SARS. The disease might spread to the region from Kaohsiung or Taipei," Lee said.
PHOTO: XU XIA-LIAN, TAIPEI TIMES
"Even if the worst happens, we now have the faculty to handle it," he said.
The command center has power to control distribution of medical resources in the central region, which includes five municipalities and counties.
The head of the center is China Medical College Chairman Tsai Chang-hai (蔡長海), who was selected for the position for his active participation in the prevention of SARS in the city over the past two months.
A hospital affiliated with the China Medical College reported the first SARS-related death in the county.
Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強), who was reported to be unhappy about certain arrangements for the command center, initially did not plan to attend the ceremony, but did make an appearance.
Hu stressed that the command center might have come a little late.
"But as people say, it is better late than never. The command center's activation means that the central government does take prevention against SARS as a war. A war needs dividing the country into different war zones. Each war zone has its own commander," Hu said.
DPP Legislator Chien Chao-tong (
"Some hospitals have not held SARS drills for the purpose of saving medical resources," Chien said.
In days to come, the country's attention might be on whether the central region will remain one of the safest and cleanest places in the country or will suffer from a heavy strike from the contagion, as some government officials are predicting.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
RSS