Virus Outbreak: Pandemic designation too late: vice presidentBy Chang Hsuan-che and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe WHO’s designation of COVID-19 as a global pandemic came too late, Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said yesterday. Vice President Chen Chien-jen, left, helps plant a sapling yesterday in Taichung to mark Arbor Day. Photo: Chang Hsuan-che, Taipei Times“When you see the number of confirmed patients decreasing and the mortality rate increasing, you should pay attention to how that nation is conducting tests,” Chen said. The number of confirmed cases is related not only to the nation’s population, but also virus test coverage, he said. When fatality rates are included in the equation, nations that limit their calculations to confirmed patients with advanced symptoms will see a higher mortality rate, he said.

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