Sun, Oct 16, 2022 page3

• Tsai, Su thank CECC staff for efforts

  ‘PERSEVERANCE’: Many expected Taiwan to be swamped by COVID-19, given its proximity to China, but staff ensured that the worst did not transpire, the premier said

  • By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
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  President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday visited the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) to show support and gratitude for its workers’ efforts in fighting COVID-19, to mark 1,000 days since the center’s establishment.

  When several cases of unidentified severe pneumonia were reported in China’s Wuhan in December 2019, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Dec. 31 began on-board inspections of passengers on all direct flights from the city.

  The CECC was established on Jan. 20, 2020, as more cases were reported in other countries.

  

  Premier Su Tseng-chang yesterday in Kaohsiung speaks at a campaign event for Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai, who is running for re-election.

  Photo: CNA

  SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has since infected more than 629 million people worldwide, and killed a reported 6.5 million.

  During her ninth visit to the center, Tsai said that CECC employees have faced many challenges with perseverance and have overcome many difficulties.

  She expressed her gratitude for the CECC members’ protection of Taiwan.

  COVID-19 prevention policies were met with some criticism, which the government accepted and reflected upon, although Taiwan’s performance throughout the pandemic was also praised by many countries, borne out by statistics, Tsai said.

  “In the past 1,000 days, Taiwan has not been defeated by COVID-19, and has shown the world its resilience in crisis response, and due to everyone’s joint efforts, Taiwan has reopened its national borders,” Tsai said.

  Su said that many countries initially expected Taiwan to be greatly affected by cases, given its proximity to China and the number of people who daily travel between the countries, and he thanked CECC members and the public for working together to ensure that those predictions did not transpire.

  Thousands of meetings were held by CECC members to ensure that communities were stocked with masks, testing kits, protective equipment and vaccines, he said, adding that the center’s inspections of airports and markets helped keep the nation safe.

  “Although the borders have reopened, the pandemic has not ended,” he said, adding that unity is still necessary as a “war of words is more harmful than the virus.”

  Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝), who heads the center, said there were three main phases of the past 1,000 days: blocking the spread of COVID-19, boosting people’s immunity and returning to normal daily life amid outbreaks.

  Wang said the virus had to be stopped at national borders when vaccines were unavailable in the first phase, and Taiwan achieved 252 consecutive days with no local cases, showing that the efforts of the CECC and the public were successful.

  Taiwan made great efforts to secure vaccines, and the CECC is thankful to the countries and companies that helped acquire millions of doses, including Japan and the US, he said.

  Wang said that he and CECC workers have not forgotten the efforts of former minister of health and welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who was the center’s head before entering the race for mayor of Taipei.

  Chen led the center for 908 days, and while all the staff miss him, they hope he can continue to work with the CECC in the future, Wang added.
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