• Military
• WMD
• Intelligence

• Security Menu                     

• Systems
• Industry
• Operations
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Space

Opposition parties urge government to boost COVID-19 testing capacity

ROC Central News Agency

05/03/2022 09:26 PM

Taipei, May 3 (CNA) Opposition parties on Tuesday urged the government to boost COVID-19 testing capacity to improve the efficacy of disease control as Taiwan experiences a surge in domestic cases.

The government must come up with better plans since the current rationing sale of COVID-19 rapid test kits has created chaos, said Deputy Kuomintang (KMT) Secretary-General Wang Yu-min (王育敏) at a press conference.

Distribution of the packets, each containing five rapid tests at a regulated price of NT$500 (US$17), has been too slow, Wang said.

Less than 10 percent of the total population has bought test kits, Wang pointed out, adding that demand is far outstripping supply and many pharmacies have no test kits left.

In addition, the kits are too expensive for disadvantaged groups, and government subsidies are necessary, Wang said.

At a separate press conference, KMT legislative caucus whip Tseng Ming-chung (曾銘宗) also criticized the government for the confusing procurement strategy adopted over rapid tests, adding that it raises concerns government officials could be profiting from the arrangement.

According to the KMT, as Taiwan expects to see many more cases in the near future, the government should provide online access to free rapid tests as that will help to better control the disease.

KMT Legislator Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) also suggested that the government could use clinics to conduct polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests as a way of easing the pressure on hospitals, as well as evaluating the possibility of replacing PCR tests with rapid tests altogether.

A reasonable price should be less than NT$100 per test to increase accessibility, Chiang added.

Meanwhile, the New Power Party (NPP) urged the government to prioritize distribution of rapid tests to people in higher risk groups or those who have not received vaccine shots.

NPP member Wu Pei-yun (吳佩芸) urged the government to keep the public informed with regular updates on its rapid test acquisition and distribution plans as only such transparency can maintain public confidence in the medical system.

NPP Legislator Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) said the government should boost medical capacity for the treatment of children, while the KMT's Chiang suggested establishing out-patient care that targets children.

(By Wang Yan-yu, Wang Cheng-chung and Lee Hsin-Yin)

Enditem/AW

The figures do not include imported cases reclassified as domestic ones, nor retroactively removed cases. As of May 3, Taiwan recorded 147,810 domestic cases in 2022, while the total number of imported cases rose to 11,481 from 2,396 on Jan. 1.