Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Virus Outbreak: Researcher says COVID-19 likely synthetic

Taipei Times

The ultrastructural morphology of COVID-19 is pictured in an illustration released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, on Jan. 29.
Photo: Alissa Eckert, MS; Dan Higgins, MAM/CDC/Handout via Reuters

Humans likely synthesized COVID-19, although more studies are needed to be certain, National Taiwan University (NTU) public health researcher Fang Chi-tai (方啟泰) said yesterday.

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.

White Terror cases still haunt nation

Taipei Times Editorial

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.

People come together to overcome mask crisis

Hsu Jen-hui 徐仁輝

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.

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