US, Taiwan to work closely together in fight against coronavirus: AIT

美國在台協會聲明與台灣緊密合作，共同對抗冠狀病毒

US, Taiwan to share experiences in Wuhan virus control, jointly develop vaccines and treatment


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The de facto American embassy in Taiwan announced on Sunday (March 15) that the U.S. will work with Taiwan in the research and development of vaccines and medicine to counter the coronavirus, which has infected over 150,000 globally.

The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement that it will cooperate with Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) in the war against the Wuhan virus (COVID-19). It lauded the island country’s extensive experience in infectious disease prevention and its successful efforts to curb the potentially deadly virus.

The move signifies great strides in the bilateral relationship between Taiwan and the U.S.?while at the same time demonstrating that Taiwan is an indispensable contributor to global health, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

Taiwan has drawn worldwide acclaim for its response to the pandemic, having been praised as a role model by many media outlets around the world.

In addition to timely border control and technology-based face mask rationing systems, Academia Sinica, Taiwan’s leading research institute, has developed antibodies for a 15-minute COVID-19 test?that it hopes?will help contain?the relentless march of the coronavirus. Taiwan also received the green light last month to join the U.S. in starting clinical trials for antiviral drug remdesivir as a treatment for the novel virus.