Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Legislator Jang Chyi-lu (張其祿) yesterday called on government agencies to probe the market prices of COVID-19 self-test kits to prevent businesses from making unlawful profits.
Chang said that a rapid antigen test kit developed by Switzerland’s Roche is sold for about NT$200 (US$7.19) in other countries, but for about NT$360 in Taiwan.
Another test kit, produced by China’s Boson Biotech Co, is reportedly sold for NT$500 in Taiwan, but it only costs about NT$100 in Germany, he said.
Although the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) has allowed people to use self-test kits, inadequate regulations for the prices of the kits might benefit unscrupulous brokers, Chang said.
He urged the CECC and the Fair Trade Commission to investigate the market prices of the test kits, saying that hoarding key resources and price manipulation is outlawed by the Special Act for Prevention, Relief and Revitalization Measures for Severe Pneumonia with Novel Pathogens (嚴重特殊傳染性肺炎防治及紓困振興特別條例), the Criminal Code and the Communicable Disease Control Act (傳染病防治法).
Businesses that are found conspiring to push up the prices might be fined up to NT$50 million based on the Fair Trade Act (公平交易法), he added.
The government must ensure that businesses cannot make unreasonable profits amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as some did when there was a shortage of masks early last year, Chang said.
The government should also ensure that underprivileged people have access to the kits and other disease prevention supplies, he said.
Some foreign governments offer free test kits to poorer residents, and the US and Japan also allow the sale of test kits at vending machines, he said.
Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration yesterday unveiled guidelines for the use of rapid test kits by members of the public.
People who test positive for COVID-19 in a self-test while under home isolation should immediately contact local health authorities or dial the 1922 hotline to get instructions on what to do, the agency said.
Those who test positive for the virus while not under home isolation should visit the nearest COVID-19 testing facility, without taking public transportation, it said.
After testing positive in a self-test, people should put the test in a plastic bag, seal it and take it with them to the testing center, it said.
Test kits showing negative results should also be sealed in a plastic bag and disposed as general garbage, the agency said.
People who are ordered to conduct self-health management should continue doing so even if they tested negative in a self-test, it added.
People who have COVID-19 symptoms should not us a self-test and instead seek medical treatment as soon as possible, the agency added.
As rapid test kits might show false positive or negative results, the government would continue to rely on polymerase chain reaction tests processed in approved laboratories for confirming COVID-19 cases, it said.
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
‘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
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
RSS