Taiwan COVID-19 News Briefs: May 31

ROC Central News Agency

05/31/2022 09:21 PM

Taipei, May 31 (CNA) Taiwan on Tuesday reported 80,705 new COVID-19 cases and 90 deaths, breaking the 2 million mark for total cases since the start of the pandemic, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

Here are some of the new developments regarding the COVID-19 situation around Taiwan on Tuesday:

No wait time for arriving travelers after COVID-19 test

Starting Wednesday, travelers arriving in Taiwan will be given a saliva-based COVID-19 test at the airport, instead of a nasal swab test, and they will not have to wait for the results, the CECC said Tuesday.

Since Jan. 11, travelers arriving on long-haul flights have had to get tested for COVID-19 at the airport and wait for the results before proceeding to customs and immigration.

High demand for Pfizer children's vaccine

Newly-released CECC statistics point to a relatively high COVID-19 vaccine uptake among children aged 5-11 years since the rollout in Taiwan last week of Pfizer-BioNTech shots for that age group.

As of Tuesday, 26.6 percent of children aged 5-11 in Taipei had received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, 31.0 percent in New Taipei, 26.7 percent in Taoyuan, 38.9 percent in Taichung, 44.8 percent in Tainan, and 45.9 percent in Kaohsiung, the data showed.

While Taiwan has also been offering the Moderna vaccine for children aged 6-11 years since early May, many parents seemed to want to wait for the lower-dose Pfizer shot.

Before the rollout of the Pfizer, only 16.9 percent of children aged 6-11 had received a COVID-19 vaccine shot, according to CECC data valid as May 23.

More doses of the Moderna vaccine have been administered in Taiwan than the government has officially received because recipients of the Moderna booster shot are given half the standard dose of the first and second jab.

Local news updates

Nantou County has announced that it will be offering NT$500 vouchers and two free COVID-19 rapid tests to seniors aged 65 and over, as well as to Indigenous people aged 55 and over, who get a COVID-19 vaccine shot.

In Taipei, National Taiwan University Hospital has opened an on-site vaccination clinic though June 4, with up to 2,000 shots per day available for children aged 5-11.

The hospital said it has invited "clown doctors" and musicians to perform at the site, to help calm the children who visit the clinic.

Meanwhile, 33 of the 53 COVID-19-related deaths recorded in Hualien since late March were among residents of long-term care facilities, the county government said, adding that 71.7 percent of those who died were over 69, and 52.8 percent had not been vaccinated against COVID-19.

COVID-19 insurance claims top NT$4 billion

Taiwanese insurance companies have now paid out more than NT$4 billion (US$138 million) in insurance claims related to COVID-19, the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) said Tuesday.

As of Monday, the firms had paid out NT$4.04 billion on some 115,000 claims, amounting to 164.83 percent of their earnings on infectious disease insurance policies, the FSC said.

According to FSC statistics, the companies had earned NT$2.451 billion in premiums on a total of 2.97 million of those policies.

Over the past week, the companies have paid out an average of NT$200 million per day, said the FSC, the country's main regulator in the securities, banking and insurance industries.

More lawmakers report COVID infections

Former President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and four legislators said Tuesday that they had tested positive for COVID-19.

The lawmakers are Wu Yu-chin (吳玉琴), Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀) and Chang Liao Wan-chien (張廖萬堅) of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, and Claire Wang (王婉諭) of the New Power Party.

Incidentally, the reports of COVID-19 infections came one day after lawmakers scuffled in the chamber over a bill to retroactively acquit the former president of corruption charges.

According to unofficial tallies published in Taiwan's media, 23 lawmakers in the 113-seat Legislature have now reported COVID-19 infections.

(By Matthew Mazzetta)

Enditem/pc