On March 19, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced six new confirmed imported cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Taiwan. Those six new cases arrived in Taiwan from the Philippines (Cases #1000-1002), the United States (Case #1003), Paraguay (Case #1004), and Indonesia (Case #1005).
On March 19, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced that according to the recommendations made in the expert meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the clinical benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing COVID-19 infection and severe symptoms after infection outweigh the risk of adverse reactions after vaccination, and it is recommended that the AstraZeneca vaccine be offered to the priority groups as planned.
Premier Su Tseng-chang on Thursday said the upcoming launch of a travel bubble between Taiwan and Palau represents the first such bubble to be formed in the Asia-Pacific region and marks an important milestone in bilateral ties. Palau has had no recorded cases of COVID-19 while Taiwan is a COVID-safe country, and the travel bubble will be conducted under five main disease prevention principles.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs March 13 expressed deep grief over the passing of Chiou Chwei-liang, a former national policy adviser to the president, earlier in the day in Brisbane.
A workshop on building resilience to disasters was staged under the Taiwan-U.S.-Japan Global Cooperation and Training Framework March 10 in Taipei City, underscoring the commitment of like-minded partners to deepening cooperation in disaster prevention and mitigation.
Following a presentation Thursday by the Ministry of Culture (MOC) on achievements in the revitalization and guidance of national cinema, Premier Su Tseng-chang said that Taiwan has the world’s richest repository of moving stories, and that the government would continue its assistance and support for the movie industry. The premier said that in addition to sharing the nation’s many engaging tales with the world, domestic cinema can draw talent from abroad to come make films in Taiwan.
On the occasion of International Women’s Day, celebrated on Monday, Premier Su Tseng-chang thanked the women of Taiwan for their contributions to the nation and the roles they played in the home and workplace through the most trying times of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In an assessment conducted by the government, Taiwan ranked sixth worldwide and first in Asia for gender equality, based on methods used by the U.N. Development Programme to compile the latest 2019 Gender Inequality Index.
Premier Su Tseng-chang noted Thursday that the U.S.-based organization Freedom House continues to list Taiwan as a “free” country, which over the past three years has consistently ranked above such democracies as the U.S. and France. Last year Taiwan was the only country in Asia rated as “open” in People Power Under Attack 2020, a report by CIVICUS, a global alliance of civil society organizations and activists.
Premier Su Tseng-chang traveled to Pingtung County on Sunday to attend a press conference highlighting government support for Taiwan’s pineapple growers. Taiwan’s sweet-tasting pineapples are of the highest quality in the world, he said, and despite China’s ban on pineapple imports from Taiwan, the nation can take this opportunity to expand exports to other countries and develop new sales channels.
A total of 117,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine have arrived in Taiwan and will first be administered to health care workers who have direct contact with COVID-19 patients, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Wednesday.
