Taiwan disease expert opposes prolonging Level 3 alert

台灣流行病學專家反對延長三級緊戒

Taiwan epidemiologist says nation should focus on rapid vaccination campaign


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In response to the outbreak of the COVID-19 Delta variant, an epidemiologist on Wednesday (June 30) urged the government not to increase preventive measures or prolong the Level 3 alert and just focus on getting people vaccinated instead.

The outbreak has caused concern as confirmed Delta cases rose to 14 on Wednesday.

Academia Sinica epidemiologist Ho Mei-shang (何美鄉) on Wednesday took to Facebook to explain the transmissibility and virulence of the Delta variant. She said that the variant was first detected in India and has now spread across the globe, replacing the U.K. strain as the most widespread in the world.

The Alpha variant is 50 percent more infectious than the original virus, while the Delta is twice as transmissible as the original, the epidemiologist said.

As for the virulence of the Delta variant, Ho said that it is believed to have higher pathogenicity, but there is no data to prove this yet. In the U.K., the number of Delta infections continues to rise, but the number of hospitalizations has not increased, she added.

According to data from the U.K., AstraZeneca and Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines are 92 percent and 96 percent effective against coronavirus, respectively, but they are less successful against preventing light symptoms, with only 60 percent and 88 percent efficacy rates, respectively, she said.

The epidemiologist said that it appears young people in the U.K. are more prone to Delta variant infections, but the underlying reason is that a higher percentage of young people have not been vaccinated yet.

Meanwhile, the Delta strain is causing a spike in infections in Indonesia, where the vaccination rate is only around 10 percent, according to Ho. Media have reported that several doctors who were fully vaccinated with the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine have died, she said, adding that the damage of community transmission the Delta variant could bring to low vaccinated countries with less protective vaccines is concerning.

In regards to how the Delta variant could affect Taiwan, Ho said that judging from the situations in the U.K. and Indonesia, it is evident more community transmissions of the strain will come from abroad. Taiwan currently has about 5.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and they should be administered as soon as possible, Ho said, adding that though some people are hesitant about getting the jab, vaccination should be extended to the next priority groups as quickly as possible.

The epidemiologist said she thinks Taiwan's focal point should be the rapid distribution of vaccines. The country does not need to increase restrictions or prolong the Level 3 alert just because of the Delta variant, she said.