COVID-19: Clinic list shows people in line to get jabsBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterProminent businesspeople and figures in entertainment yesterday said that they were on a list and had been vaccinated for COVID-19 at a Good Liver Clinic (好心肝診所) branch in Taipei. A Good Liver Clinic sign at an entrance to one of its branches is pictured in Taipei yesterday. Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said that he had handed a list, apparently of names of people who Good Liver Clinic had vaccinated, over to prosecutors. The Taipei Medical Association condemned the Taipei City Government in a press release. Meanwhile, prosecutors have initiated an investigation into reports of “VIP access” to COVID-19 vaccines at Taichung Veterans General Hospital.

COVID-19: Allergies should not deter vaccination, doctor saysStaff writer, with CNAPeople who are allergic to certain foods or medications should still get vaccinated against COVID-19, as most reactions can be treated, a Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital medical expert said on Thursday. A medical worker is inoculated with a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital in New Taipei City’s Taishan District yesterday. At least 759,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered in Taiwan as of Thursday, most of them from AstraZeneca. Taiwanese are more prone to medicine-induced allergic reactions than people from other countries, he said. Vaccines manufactured by AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson contain an excipient called polysorbate, while vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna use polyethylene glycol (PEG), Chen said.

Photo: Tung Chen-kuo, Taipei TimesThe ceremonies and banquets usually make up the majority of flower sales during this time of the year, they said. Another farmer, surnamed Nai (乃), said that the overheads on a 293.4 ping (970m2) plot of land could be as much as NT$200,000. The county government is today to survey the potential losses, and the township would ask that any subsidies include the flower industry, he said. A farmer surnamed Lin (林) said that exports for Texas bluebells stopped in April, but domestic sales had also been battered amid the outbreak. Another farmer, surnamed Wu (吳), turned to online platforms to sell the flowers and minimize losses, offering a bouquet for NT$200 while giving away a bouquet for free.

COVID-19: Taipei cabbies can double as deliver drivers: mayorEXPANDING OPTIONS: New Taipei City yesterday also announced that drivers could deliver meals and goods, a decision that local unions welcomed amid a virus alertBy Cheng Ming-hsiang, Tsai Ya-hua and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writerTaipei taxis are allowed to double as meal and cargo delivery vehicles during level 2, 3 or 4 COVID-19 alerts, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said on Thursday. However, taxi drivers would have to follow industry accepted pricing and not use cab meter rates, he said. This would facilitate transportation for the logistics industry, give taxi drivers an additional source of income and help stores sell goods through online platforms, Chung said. Photo: Wang Shu-hsiu, Taipei TimeSome taxi drivers have chosen to stop working during the pandemic, but many say they cannot, as they have to support their families. Taxi drivers did not receive fuel stipends this year, Cheng said, adding that even if there were stipends, many drivers would rather rely on their earnings than government subsidies.

COVID-19: CECC reports 286 local virus casesCARING FOR THE SICK: The center said that it would distribute monoclonal antibody drugs and negative pressure isolation units to hospitals across the nationBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported 286 new local cases of COVID-19 and 24 deaths. The local cases are 141 males and 145 females, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, told a daily news briefing in Taipei. This week’s total case number seems to have slightly decreased compared with last week’s total, but has remained relatively level, Chen said. Photo: CNAPrevious centers of the local outbreak recorded the largest number of new cases, with 120 in New Taipei City, 56 in Miaoli County and 49 in Taipei, center data showed. As of yesterday, Taiwan had recorded 12,500 confirmed cases, including 11,294 local cases and 1,153 imported ones, and 385 deaths from the disease, the data showed.

COVID-19: Medigen results good, experts say‘SECOND BEST’: A researcher said that as phase 3 vaccine trials could take several years, it would be best for Taiwan to use the vaccines based on the phase 2 resultsStaff writer, with CNAPhase 2 clinical trial results of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp generated good data, experts said, although they warned that there was still no way to know how effectively it would prevent the disease. “Data look quite good,” Academia Sinica researcher Michael Lai (賴明詔) said on Thursday after Medigen announced that its vaccine candidate had shown no major safety concerns. There are many ways to produce vaccines, including via protein subunits such as the one Medigen is working on, he said. It would be acceptable for Medigen to apply for EUA with only the results of its phase 2 trials, he said. Medigen said it would seek an EUA from the Food and Drug Administration as soon as possible based on the promising results from its phase 2 clinical trials.

Photo: Wu Chia-ying, Taipei TimesJust 28.1 percent of respondents said that they were willing to take a domestic vaccine not approved by the WHO, the European Medicines Agency or the US Food and Drug Administration. About 52.8 percent of DPP voters and 48.6 percent of Taiwan Statebuilding Party voters said that they were willing to receive a Taiwanese vaccine, while less than 30 percent of voters from all other parties said that they would. On the same day, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) told lawmakers that the vaccines budget approved last year had been used up buying foreign-made vaccines, Kao said. “Where did the budget for the May 28 order of 10 million doses of domestic vaccines come from?” she asked. Su did not directly respond to Kao’s questions, while Chen replied that the process was hastened to ensure manufacturers would be prepared to produce the vaccine doses.

FDA unveils standards for EUA of local vaccinesUNBLINDING: The efficacy of locally developed COVID-19 vaccines must at least be on par with the AstraZeneca vaccine to be granted emergency use authorizationBy Kayleigh Madjar / Staff writer, with CNAThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday announced emergency use authorization (EUA) standards for locally developed COVID-19 vaccines, just hours before Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp (高端) announced its phase 2 trial results. The standards include safety data from at least 3,000 subjects and efficacy test results at least on par with the AstraZeneca vaccine, the FDA said. To determine the appropriate level, the FDA is to commission Ministry of Health and Welfare hospitals to conduct studies comparing the effect of domestic vaccines with that of foreign vaccines, Wu said. The unblinding would only reveal if there were differences between the subjects who received a vaccine and those who received a placebo, Wu said. The results must still be sent to the FDA before it can begin EUA procedures, she added.

Telecoms post annual revenue growthBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterTaiwan’s three major telecoms yesterday reported that revenue grew annually last month on increased demand for mobile and broadband services, as working from home, online shopping and distance learning became new norms amid a nationwide level 3 COVID-19 alert. “As mobile users subscribed to more upscale plans, mobile service revenue continued to grow,” Chunghwa Telecom said in a statement. Net profit grew 5.7 percent to NT$2.96 billion last month from NT$2.8 billion a year earlier, the company said. Online shopping revenue generated at its subsidiary Momo.com Inc (富邦媒體) accounted for 60 percent of its revenue last month, Taiwan Mobile said. In the first five months, revenue expanded 5.49 percent to NT$33.65 billion from NT$31.9 billion in the same period last year.

Average take-home wages increase 2.77%BEFORE SETBACK: The job market was almost back at a pre-COVID-19 level before a new virus outbreak, officials said, postponing the release of data for last monthBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterAverage monthly take-home wages in April gained 2.77 percent from a year earlier to NT$43,190, while total wages — including overtime and performance-based compensation — grew 4.27 percent to NT$49,930, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday, attributing the trend to an improving economy. Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics Deputy Director Chen Hui-hsin speaks at an online news conference in Taipei yesterday. Major listed companies from different sectors posted record revenues last month, lending support to steady advances in monthly wages. Employees at airline companies enjoyed the highest average take-home pay of NT$74,981 per month, followed by workers at electricity and gas suppliers at NT$65,192, and employees in the financial and insurance industries at NT$63,884, DGBAS data showed. For the first four months of this year, regular monthly wages on average increased 2.16 percent year-on-year to NT$43,085, while total compensations gained 2.69 percent to NT$62,628, the agency said.

Good Liver Clinic’s ‘jab hookup’ probedSPECIAL ACCESS? However, a Good Liver Clinic branch was on Tuesday found to have a long line for vaccinations. The Democratic Progressive Party legislative caucus yesterday holds a news conference calling on the Taipei City Government to provide answers to questions concerning the city’s vaccine rollout. Yesterday, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) told a Cabinet meeting: “Vaccines are precious right now because of their limited supply, so administering them must follow the CECC’s rollout protocols. “It is very unfair because many frontline medical personnel have not yet gotten vaccinated,” DPP Legislator Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said.

Tax revenue soars on strong economyLOOKING AHEAD: Many local firms posted profit growth this year on the back of strong demand and the expectation that the COVID-19 pandemic would abate worldwideBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterThe national treasury last month collected NT$293.2 billion (US$10.58 billion) in tax revenue, an increase of 28.5 percent from a year earlier, as all tax categories posted strong gains on the back of economic improvement, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. Corporate income tax revenue soared 52.3 percent to NT$21.6 billion, while personal income tax revenue increased 17.8 percent to NT$29.4 billion, the ministry’s monthly report showed. Business tax revenue increased 19 percent to NT$85.5 billion, while sales tax revenue jumped 36 percent to NT$17 billion, the ministry said. Securities transaction tax revenue grew more than twofold to NT$29.4 billion as daily turnover spiked to a record NT$578.1 billion, Chen said. Land increment tax revenue increased 25.3 percent to NT$10.9 billion, as the number of taxable cases rose 32.3 percent to 64,525, Chen said.

CECC reports 263 local virus cases and 28 deathsBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported 263 domestic cases of COVID-19, three imported cases and 28 deaths. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung speaks at the Central Epidemic Command Center’s daily news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Yang Yuan-ting, Taipei TimesNew Taipei City had the most local infections, with 112 cases, followed by 58 in Taipei and 43 in Miaoli County, it said. As of yesterday, Taiwan had recorded 12,222 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 1,152 imported and 11,017 domestic cases, with 361 deaths, CECC data showed. In related news, 10 negative pressure isolation units from Japan arrived in Taiwan yesterday evening on a China Airlines (中華航空) cargo flight.

Taiwanese go player attains top rank in JapanWINNING HAND: Hsu Chia-yuan, 23, was on Monday upgraded to ninth dan for holding two of Japan’s seven professional go titlesBy Lin Tsuei-yi and William Hetherington / Staff reporter in Tokyo, with staff writerProfessional go player Hsu Chia-yuan (許家元) was on Monday conferred the title of ninth dan — the highest professional ranking — at a ceremony in Tokyo. Taiwanese professional go player Hsu Chia-yuan holds his ninth dan certificate at a ceremony in Tokyo on Monday after winning the 59th Judan competition in April. Hsu had been given the rank of eighth dan after his Gosei win, but was upgraded to ninth dan on Monday for holding two of the seven professional go titles in Japan. Hsu, who began his professional go career in 2013, became the third-fastest player in Japan to reach the rank of ninth dan, behind Shibano Toramaru and Yuta Iyama. Hsu challenged Toramaru in the Judan competition, winning three out of five matches to claim the title.

Wanhua, home to the Ximending (西門町) shopping area, is usually one of the most visited parts of Taipei. However, people have been avoiding the district since last month, when a COVID-19 outbreak was discovered there. Now, only local residents can be seen on the streets of Wanhua and they pass by quickly without entering the shops, Taipei Business District and Industrial Confederation chairman Hung Wen-ho (洪文和) said. “Most businesses have shuttered up. Only aBy Yang Hsin-hui and William Hetherington