It is important to maintain sufficient medical capacity during the transition from pursuing a “zero COVID-19” policy to coexisting with the coronavirus, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said at a news conference yesterday.
The COVID-19 virus has become more like influenza and is still rapidly changing as experts are striving to mitigate its impact on people’s health, society and the economy, Chen said.
COVID-19 is now like influenza, as flu jabs are not developed to eliminate the virus completely or reduce flu cases to zero, but to prevent serious symptoms and death, he said.
Photo: Hsu Li-chuan, Taipei Times
As such, people infected with COVID-19 should be treated within the healthcare system, which is what Taiwan is aiming to do at the moment, he added.
Chen urged people to get vaccinated as soon as possible and to cooperate with the government’s contact tracing policy to prevent cases from increasing exponentially.
In response to a recent spike in domestic COVID-19 cases in Taiwan, community testing stations are being set up at Kaohsiung Municipal Gangshan Hospital, Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital and Tungmeung Park today, the Kaohsiung City Government said.
The stations are to open from 8:30am to midday, from 1:30pm to 5:30pm and from 6pm to 8pm.
People living in Kaohsiung who receive contact tracing text messages can get tested at the stations.
Meanwhile, vaccination sites are to be set up at Zuoying (左營) MRT Station and Sanduo Shopping District MRT Station in Kaohsiung.
People can receive shots of the Moderna vaccine from 1:30pm to 4:30pm and from 5:30pm to 7:30pm on Friday, as well as from 1:30pm to 4:30pm on Saturday.
The Moderna vaccine would also be available from 9:30am to midday and from 1:30pm to 4:30pm in the lobby of Formosa Boulevard MRT Station in Kaohsiung on Saturday, the city government said.
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