A first batch of 2,016 courses of molnupiravir, an oral antiviral treatment for COVID-19, arrived in Taiwan yesterday morning.
The delivery of the antiviral pills, made by US drugmaker Merck, was originally scheduled to be completed in phases after the Lunar New Year holiday, which begins on Saturday and runs through Sunday next week.
However, thanks to intensive efforts by the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), the first batch arrived earlier than expected from the US .
The batch arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 5:18am on EVA Air Flight BR641 from Chicago.
After disinfection operations were completed, the pills were transported to
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday called on the public to “stay vigilant and prudent,” but added that there is “no need to be afraid” given a surge in domestic cases of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2.
The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Saturday reported 82 new local infections, a high for this year.
“The Omicron variant spreads very fast, so all of a sudden, most of the cases reported around the world are Omicron cases,” Su said during a visit to the CECC yesterday. “Its rapid spread is the variant’s characteristic, but most infected people have mild symptoms, or even no
Taipei, Jan. 13 (CNA) Taiwan on Thursday confirmed 14 new domestic cases of COVID-19, all but one of which were linked to a wider outbreak of the disease originating at Taoyuan International Airport, and one death from the disease, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday said it expects imported cases of COVID-19 to further increase today and tomorrow the peak period for international arrivals before the Lunar New Year holiday.
The nation has seen more imported cases of COVID-19 since it implemented a new policy on Tuesday requiring travelers on long-haul flights to undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test upon arrival.
Those who test positive are taken directly to hospitals from airports.
Most of the recent confirmed cases of COVID-19 were travelers arriving from the US, CECC data showed.
On Tuesday, 58 of the 625 travelers arriving at Taiwan
LUNAR NEW YEAR: The nation is expecting 4,200 international travelers to arrive today and 3,900 tomorrow, as people return home for the holidays, the CECC saidBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporter, with CNA