Will Taiwan's Status as a Model Country for COVID-19 Prevention Be Broken?

(Photo by WSJ)

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] As community transmission spreads in Taiwan, the country's reputation as a model nation for COVID-19 prevention and vaccine distribution is at risk, Bloomberg reported on the 12th (local time).

According to the report, Taiwan, known as a model country for COVID-19 prevention, is seeing a continuous rise in new confirmed cases due to community transmission.

Local media reported that Taiwan's health authorities announced that 10 people, including the spouse of a former Lions Club president from Wugu District in New Taipei City in the north, who was previously confirmed positive, tested positive yesterday.

They also explained that three people who had contact with a woman in her 30s, a confirmed case working at an adult entertainment venue in Luodong, Yilan County in the northeast, were confirmed positive. Additionally, three women in the Taipei Wanhua and Keelung areas were confirmed positive.

Taiwanese media reported scenes of the former Lions Club president, suspected to be a 'super spreader,' singing with a microphone passed around among attendees aged 50 to 70 who were not wearing masks, and conveyed news of the confirmed cases among those contacts at that time.

They also introduced that the tea house where the woman confirmed positive in the Wanhua area worked is mainly frequented by middle-aged men.

In Taiwan, 11,018,000 people were vaccinated the previous day. Since March, Taiwan has accelerated vaccinations starting with healthcare workers, but concerns related to blood clot side effects from the AstraZeneca vaccine have slowed the pace of administration, the report said.