tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Emerg Infect Dis. 2020 Mar 31;26(7). doi: 10.3201/eid2607.200574. [Epub ahead of print]
Policy Decisions and Use of Information Technology to Fight 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease, Taiwan.
Lin C, Braund WE, Auerbach J, Chou JH, Teng JH, Tu P, Mullen J.
Abstract
Because of its proximity to and frequent travelers to and from China, Taiwan faces complex challenges in preventing 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). As soon as China reported the unidentified outbreak to the World Health Organization on December 31, 2019, Taiwan assembled a taskforce and began health checks onboard flights from Wuhan. Taiwan's rapid implementation of disease prevention measures helped detect and isolate the country's first COVID-19 case on January 20, 2020. Laboratories in Taiwan developed 4-hour test kits and isolated 2 strains of the coronavirus before February. Taiwan effectively delayed and contained community transmission by leveraging experience from the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak, prevalent public awareness, a robust public health network, support from healthcare industries, cross-departmental collaborations, and advanced information technology capacity. We analyze use of the National Health Insurance database and critical policy decisions made by Taiwan's government during the first 50 days of the COVID-19 outbreak.
KEYWORDS:
2019 novel coronavirus disease; COVID-19; SARS; SARS-CoV-2; Taiwan; communicable diseases; coronavirus; data sharing; electronic medical records; emerging infectious diseases; epidemic; health policy; national health insurance; outbreak; pneumonia; public health; quarantine; respiratory infections; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; universal health care; viruses; zoonoses
PMID:32228808DOI:10.3201/eid2607.200574
Free full text
Policy Decisions and Use of Information Technology to Fight 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease, Taiwan.
Lin C, Braund WE, Auerbach J, Chou JH, Teng JH, Tu P, Mullen J.
Abstract
Because of its proximity to and frequent travelers to and from China, Taiwan faces complex challenges in preventing 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). As soon as China reported the unidentified outbreak to the World Health Organization on December 31, 2019, Taiwan assembled a taskforce and began health checks onboard flights from Wuhan. Taiwan's rapid implementation of disease prevention measures helped detect and isolate the country's first COVID-19 case on January 20, 2020. Laboratories in Taiwan developed 4-hour test kits and isolated 2 strains of the coronavirus before February. Taiwan effectively delayed and contained community transmission by leveraging experience from the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak, prevalent public awareness, a robust public health network, support from healthcare industries, cross-departmental collaborations, and advanced information technology capacity. We analyze use of the National Health Insurance database and critical policy decisions made by Taiwan's government during the first 50 days of the COVID-19 outbreak.
KEYWORDS:
2019 novel coronavirus disease; COVID-19; SARS; SARS-CoV-2; Taiwan; communicable diseases; coronavirus; data sharing; electronic medical records; emerging infectious diseases; epidemic; health policy; national health insurance; outbreak; pneumonia; public health; quarantine; respiratory infections; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; universal health care; viruses; zoonoses
PMID:32228808DOI:10.3201/eid2607.200574
Free full text