As the COVID-19 pandemic gradually recedes in Taiwan and virus prevention policies are eased, concern over being infected has fallen and the mask mandate has been lifted in most public places. Nonetheless, there is no room for complacency. As the effectiveness of vaccines diminishes over time, we still need to be mindful of how to protect the public against infection in the post-pandemic era.
COVID-19 NEED MSONITORING TO SEE WHETHER IT WOULD TURN INTO FLU
Lee Ping-ing (李秉穎), a professor at National Taiwan University Hospital, said in an interview that COVID-19 could gradually morph into the common cold rather than influenza.
Photo courtesy of Lee Ping-ing
As with all coronaviruses, the virus that causes COVID-19 is constantly mutating, but it only causes colds due to the immunity developed by the human body post-infection, Lee said.
Even though it is impossible to avoid severe symptoms entirely, symptoms in new cases would gradually become less severe over time, he said. It is possible that, in the future, the novel coronavirus would develop in such a way that it would only cause severe illness in young children, and less so in adults.
COVID-19 symptoms are not entirely mild at this point, and so it is still important to monitor the rate of severe illness and death in the first few years following the pandemic, Lee said. If the symptoms remain severe and the death rate high, annual vaccinations for the first few years would still be required.
Photo: Liberty Times file
AS PANDEMIC RECEDES, VACCINE SAFETY BECOMES PRIORITY
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 60 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered in Taiwan, with a coverage rate of 94 percent for the first dose, 89 percent for the second dose, 0.9 percent for an additional primary dose, 76.7 percent for the first booster and 24.5 percent for the second booster. The coverage rates of the first and second doses were excellent, but the vaccination rates of the additional primary dose and the third and fourth booster shots were not as high as for the two initial shots.
According to Lee, the rate of serious illness and fatality among high-risk and unvaccinated groups remains high after COVID-19 infection. Although the pandemic is receding and the virus should dissipate. there are still chances of infections over the next three to four years, or even longer.
Photo: Liberty Times file
During the interview, Lee also spoke of the development of new vaccines, saying that in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic all the vaccines were approved on an emergency basis, with the emphasis being on efficacy and supply speed, with less stringent measures placed on safety assessment.
Now that the pandemic has subsided, vaccine safety has become more important, and in the future COVID-19 vaccines would require official drug certification, Lee said.
THE SAFER PROTEIN-BASED NOVAVAX WILL BE USED FOR PREVENTIVE JABS
As the pandemic eases and the urgency of vaccinations decreases, more attention will be paid to vaccine side effects and safety.
Lee said that there were initially mainly mRNA vaccine and adenovirus vector vaccines, both of which had the advantage of quick production and quick response, but carried the risk of causing severe complications, such as myocarditis and blood clots in adolescents.
In the immediate outbreak of the pandemic, vaccination was considered preferable to being unvaccinated due to the possibility of severe illness and death from the disease, but later on, when the newer strains of the virus proved to be less lethal, it was no longer ideal to use the two vaccines that could cause serious side effects, he said.
Sub-unit protein vaccines, which have a longer history than mRNA and adenovirus vector vaccines, have been used to treat diseases such as hepatitis B, cervical cancer and the flu, and are less likely to cause serious side effects, Lee said.
The Novavax vaccine, which was granted Emergency Use Listing by the WHO and has been authorized in more than 40 countries worldwide, is a protein-based vaccine. Designed from the gene sequence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, it uses Novavax’s recombinant nanoparticle technology and it is formulated with Novavax’s Matrix-M adjuvant, which increases the vaccine’s ability to stimulate immunity. The safety of the vaccine is recognized and Taiwan approved it for use in adults in June last year and in adolescents in September last year, making it a strong additional option for high-risk groups, students and adolescents.
In the coming years, the risk of infection will remain high regardless of whether one has previously been infected with SARS-CoV-2. Vaccinations will continue to be the primary means of preventing serious illness and death.
‘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
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as