TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan faces an intensifying COVID-19 surge, Health Minister Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) revealed during a press briefing on Thursday (May 29). The government has expanded rapid test kit availability to major convenience store chains and pharmacies nationwide, ensuring widespread access for citizens as infection numbers climb.
Data from Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (CDC, 疾病管制署), the island's primary public health agency, illustrates the outbreak's severity. Emergency room visits surged to 41,402 during the week of May 18-24, more than doubling with a 113% increase compared to the previous seven-day period, signaling a significant acceleration in community transmission.
Minister Chiu projects that the current infection wave will likely continue escalating through late June or early July before subsiding. He sought to calm public concerns about medical preparedness, confirming that Taiwan has secured 450,000 courses of Paxlovid, the antiviral medication used to treat high-risk COVID-19 patients. The government's test kit distribution system appears robust, with 1.2 million rapid tests scheduled to reach distribution points next week, a quantity that health officials believe substantially exceeds projected case numbers.
When questioned about reported supply disruptions in New Taipei City, Taiwan's most populous municipality, where older antiviral medications had allegedly been withdrawn before replacement stocks arrived, Minister Chiu offered reassurance. He confirmed that fresh medication supplies had been delivered to designated core pharmacies the previous afternoon. Health authorities would ensure rapid distribution of these critical treatments to address any temporary shortages in the affected areas, he added. ◼
