Gov’t Says Risks of Mass Screening Are High, but All Pneumonia Patients to Be Screened

Gov’t Says Risks of Mass Screening Are High, but All Pneumonia Patients to Be Screened

Source: UDN & CNA

April 1, 2020

As cross-border transmission cases of COVID-19 have increased, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) advocated screening all who entered Taiwan so that the disease could be constrained outside the borders. However, Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), director of the Taipei-based Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), indicated that now was not the time for mass screening. Chen also stated that if those without symptoms tested negative, and later contracted the disease, they would not consider themselves as having been infected by COVID-19 virus. Chen went on to state that therefore, these people would continue to move around, and that the risk was at its peak at that time because these people would become super-spreaders.

In addition, Chang Shan-chwen (張上淳), the convener of the CECC expert consulting group, indicated yesterday that from now on, those with pneumonia would be screened whether or not they were suspected of being COVID-19 patients. Moreover, Chang indicated that those who had an abnormal sense of taste or smell would also be screened, because currently, a minimum of 24 confirmed cases had such symptoms.

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