Virus Outbreak: Antibody testing, medicine advance: Academia Sinica
Taipei Times
Academia Sinica Institute of Chemistry associate research fellow Chein Rong-jie, front center, and his team celebrate at the institute in Taipei yesterday after synthesizing a version of the drug remdesivir, thought to be a cure for COVID-19. Photo courtesy of Academia Sinica
Academia Sinica yesterday said that its researchers have developed an antibody testing method for COVID-19 and have made progress synthesizing remdesivir, a medicine that many believe could cure the infection.
Two high-profile cases of mysterious deaths from the Martial Law era remain unsolved to this day. Many suspect they were the work of the Taiwan Garrison Command, although this has never been proved.
Despite Taiwan’s gradual democratization in the decades that followed, these unsolved cases demonstrate that transitional justice is still very much a work in progress and that, even today, the chances of unearthing the truth behind the deaths appear as remote as ever.
The COVID-19 outbreak has triggered panic buying of masks in Taiwan. Starting on Feb. 6, the government centralized the distribution of masks and imposed a limit of two per person per week.
Despite the restrictions, Taiwan does not have the capacity to domestically produce sufficient masks to meet demand. In response, a campaign to persuade the public to forgo masks unless they really need them, called “I’m okay, you take one first,” has gone viral.
Virus Outbreak: Traveler likely source of fatal infection
Taipei Times
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung, center, speaks at a news conference held by the Central Epidemic Command Center in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNA
A Taiwanese man who returned from China’s Zhejiang Province late last month has been identified as the suspected source of infection for the nation’s first COVID-19 death, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said.
TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan has begun removing anti-ship barricades on its offshore island of Kinmen, the latest sign of its warming relationship with China, thesemi-official Central News Agency said on Sunday.
The local government of Kinmen, also known as Quemoy, has started extracting the barricades, the Taiwan agency said, in a sign of easing political tensions between Taiwan and China.