Virus Outbreak: Disease prevention center to be set upGOAL OF 2027: The center would fight viruses and communicable diseases, with key tasks including inspection, and vaccine and biopharmaceutical developmentBy Chen Yu-fu and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNAThe government is to establish a dedicated center to improve disease prevention, injecting NT$4 billion (US$132.88 million) over the next seven years into the project, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka said yesterday. Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) on Wednesday approved a Ministry of Health and Welfare proposal to build a center for disease prevention, which is to be in the ministry’s compounds in Taipei’s Nangang District (南港), with construction scheduled to begin next year and be completed in 2027, Kolas said. People would be able to preorder masks every two weeks at FamilyMart, 7-Eleven, OK Mart and Hi-Life convenience stores using their National Health Insurance (NHI) cards, the official said. Payment methods for the store system have yet to be determined, the official said. Convenience store services are expected to ease congestion at NHI-affiliated pharmacies, where people usually have to wait in long lines to buy masks.

Source: Taipei Times April 12, 2020 15:56 UTC