Rigorous procedures for clinical testing and scientific evaluation are in place for the domestic COVID-19 vaccine developed by Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp, and opposition parties should stop their disinformation and smear campaigns against it, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said yesterday.
Ker is leading negotiations at an extraordinary session of the legislature this week as lawmakers look to approve a relief package to boost government spending on industries affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.
“Taiwan has seen a declining trend of new infections in recent days, but we still cannot relax about the situation, and we urge the opposition parties to stop their disinformation and false accusations about domestic vaccine production and efforts to obtain doses from abroad,” Ker said.
Photo: CNA
“In this troubled time, the whole of society must unite to work on the common goals needed to pull us out of this situation. This is what all our citizens want to see,” he said.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and other opposition parties had been casting aspersions and stirring up controversy about the domestic vaccines.
“Although it is the duty of opposition parties to check on and scrutinize the ruling party, they are speculating and conjecturing to vilify domestic vaccine production based on false accusations. This has undermined efforts to unite society and it is not helping in the fight against the outbreak,” he added.
The Food and Drug Administration has given a clear directive, that to be granted emergency use authorization, a domestic vaccine must meet all the requirements of a 10-step procedure, Ker said.
None of the 10 steps can be curtailed or bypassed, while the administration would uphold the professionalism of the medical scientists verifying the clinical test results, and evaluate every step of the procedure to gain the public’s confidence, he said.
Referring to an announcement by Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi on Tuesday affirming that Tokyo is considering sending more vaccine doses to Taiwan, as well as Prague Mayor Zdenek Hrib expressing his support for Taiwan, Ker said that Taiwanese should be proud of the help they have provided other nations in the past 18 months.
“On the same day, two nations have expressed the willingness to provide assistance to Taiwan... We as Taiwanese should be proud of our past endeavors,” Ker said.
“We gave help to other people when they were in need, as we put ourselves in their situation. So we helped our friends when they were most in need and now the situation has changed as Taiwan needs help, and these friends have stood up right away to support us,” he said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS