ADVERTISEMENTTaiwan has kept Covid-19 cases to a
remarkable minimum. After the SARS
epidemic of 2002–2004, the country
thoroughly prepared for the next viral
outbreak. Very early in the emerging
Covid pandemic, Taiwan distributed
face masks to its 23.6 million people,
enacted regulations and traveler
screenings, and developed apps and
communication platforms.
The“TaiwanModel”ofcombating
Covid-19,developedjointlyby the
authorities,privateenterprises andcivil
society, has limited the country’s cases
to under 550, with seven deaths,asof
October 2020—the lowest ratesper
capita of any industrialized country.
The government’s notable
transparency into its decisive
efforts to contain the coronavirus
has encouraged public trust and
cooperation. A lockdown has been
avoided, and schools and most
businesses have remained open.
Taiwan’s economy remains
relatively unscathed.
A key to Taiwan’s successful
containment was prompt action.
On Dec. 31, 2019, in response to
reports of a SARS-like virus, Taiwan
immediately sent emails to inform the
World Health Organization (WHO) and
implemented border screening and
quarantine measures, and a month
later centralized the manufacture of
face masks in partnership with dozens
of companies. Masks were distributed
through thousands of pharmacies and
convenience stores, apps were
quickly developed to show local
real-time PPE inventory and online
ordering was added.Entry into Taiwan remains tightly
controlled, and arriving travelers
take “epidemic prevention taxis” to
quarantine hotels. Cellphone GPS
tracking of quarantined individuals
is supported by daily calls from
local offi cials. Temperature checks
at many buildings are standard,and
careful records are kept to expedite
contact tracing. Big Data and artificial
intelligence have been leveraged
by interdisciplinary teams drawn
from business and government
to monitor travelers and those in
quarantine, distribute PPE and
explore effective treatments.Thestunninglysuccessfulpandemic
practicesofTaiwan—atechnologically
advanceddemocracywithelectronics
and IT as primary exports—are
instructive for the world as it faces the
huge Covid-19 challenge. Taiwan wants
to help, and is offering its expertise.“Taiwan cannot stand by when
other countries are in great danger,”
says Chen Chien-jen, a Johns Hopkins-
trained epidemiologist and former
health minister who coordinated
Taiwan’s pandemic response as
Vice President.On April 1, President Tsai Ing-wen
announced that Taiwan would donate9 million maskstomedicalworkersin
the U.S. and Europe,andonAug.11,
Taiwan’s Foreign Minister, Joseph Wu,
stated that more than 50 million masks
had been donated to Covid hotspots
around the world. But the country’s
careful methods could become its
most valuable contribution.Taiwanhascreatedinnovativecontrols
andachievedsomeoftheworld’s
lowestCovid-19rates.Amidthe
challenges of the ongoing pandemic,
the country’s impressive results offer
compelling proof of the effectiveness
of its Covid prevention protocols.However, the island nation
continues to be barred from global
health discussions. Taiwan was
invited to attend the World Health
Organization’s annual assembly as
an observer every year from 2009
to 2016, but the invitations stopped
coming in 2017. For the world to
recover better, this has to change.“No country can fi ght against
Covid-19 alone,” said Chen in an
April 24 webcast hosted by the Johns
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public
Health. “Taiwan is willing to share
its experience with other countries
and continues to support medical
personnel in seriously affected
countries. I would like to assure
that Taiwan can help, and Taiwan is
helping—an answer to an urgent call
of greater international cooperation.”Taiwan’s Effective Response
to the Pandemic Creates a
Model for the World
50m
masks
donated