Taiwan saw its first case of the Wuhan coranavirus confirmed on Tuesday. The government has set up an epidemic response command center to meet the threat posed by a viral pneumonia outbreak in China.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung explained the details of the case at 6pm Tuesday. He said a Taiwanese businesswoman who returned from Wuhan on Monday evening was found to have a fever and shortness of breath at the airport. When she arrived at the airport, she initiated contact with airport quarantine officers. She was immediately tested and diagnosed with the coronavirus. She is now in quarantine and being treated. This patient works in Wuhan.
She is the first case of the coronavirus found in Taiwan. But since she was quarantined at the airport, the virus has not officially entered Taiwan. The Centers for Disease Control has maintained a third-level travel warning. They are telling the public not to travel to Wuhan unless necessary.
The Mainland Affairs Council said that China's outbreak has already received much international attention. The WHO has called an emergency meeting to deal with it. The MAC is calling on China to work together with Taiwan in preventing spread of the virus.
Over 200 people across China have been infected with new virus strain 2019-nCoV. Chinese authorities say that patients include 14 medical personnel. As of Tuesday afternoon, four Chinese patients had died. Meanwhile, the virus has started to appear outside of China. Japan and South Korea have reported one case each, while two cases have been found in Thailand.
The government set up the command center on Monday, ahead of the busy Lunar New Year travel season. Among its tasks are investigating reports of suspected cases from hospitals and conveying information about the outbreak to the public.
The command center is warning against trusting information from unclear or unconfirmed sources. It is also warning of legal consequences for those who spread false information about the outbreak.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control says that anyone who develops pneumonia symptoms within two weeks of travel to China will be subject to quarantine measures.