Taiwanese doctor warns of potential 'coronavirus tsunami'

台灣醫生警告潛在的“冠狀病毒大海嘯”

Health expert pessimistic about Taiwan’s streak of no local infections, says citizens’ relaxed attitude could cost them


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Chung Shan Medical University Hospital Pediatric Emergency Department Director Hsieh Tsung-hsueh (謝宗學) on Tuesday (July 28) warned that Taiwanese citizens' relaxed attitude toward the worsening global pandemic could result in a "coronavirus tsunami" in the country.

Following the news on Monday (July 27) that a Thai migrant worker contracted coronavirus after returning home from Taiwan, Hsieh took to Facebook to express his concerns about a potential surge in Taiwan's infection cases. He noted that there is a high likelihood the Thai patient was infected while in Taiwan despite the country not having reported more than three cases in a single day for more than two months, until Monday.

Hsieh pointed out that he has noticed that most Taiwanese do not wear masks except when taking public transportation and visiting hospitals. He said many people have ignored social distancing and mask recommendations even in extremely crowded places.

Hsieh said the majority of people in Taiwan no longer pay attention to virus developments in other countries, considering it irrelevant to them. He stressed that this attitude could potentially lead to a "coronavirus tsunami" once the country identifies a local transmission cluster.

The Taiwanese doctor urged the public to return to the alertness it displayed at the start of the outbreak. He added that Taiwan's neighboring countries are all experiencing second epidemic waves, so there is no guarantee on how long Taiwan can maintain its safety.

Since the post was published, many internet users have thanked Hsieh for his reminder while echoing his suggestion about wearing masks. Meanwhile, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced Tuesday afternoon that five more imported cases have been reported in the country, making it nine cases in two days, reported New Talk.