Why was Taiwan so successful with the virus?

MARK Iles asks why countries in SE Asia have been dealing so successfully in dealing with Covid-19. Well, let’s look at what Taiwan did, where the Covid-19 infection rate is one of the lowest despite the country not locking down.

It has had 911 confirmed cases, with only eight deaths (Worldometer, January 31). This is a remarkably low figure for a country with a population of close to 24 million and a population density of 1,739 people per square mile. Of the deaths, the individuals were in their 40s to 80s, the majority with pre-existing health conditions.

In December 2020 the country tried to warn the WHO about the danger of the virus, but the WHO, fearful of offending the Chinese government, ignored the warning. Having learned the painful lessons of the Sars epidemic in 2003, Taiwan was in a position to activate prepared plans. Europe, in comparison, had no such plans and had to innovate.

Professor David Heymann, a world-leading authority on infectious disease outbreaks, says Taiwan “immediately began contact tracing, isolating and controlling the outbreak. And they’re using [those tactics] now instead of the general lockdown procedure. It’s an entirely different approach based on epidemiology”.

In Taiwan, residents are acutely aware of disease-fighting habits like hand-washing and universal mask wearing. Other factors included closing the borders early, early screening of international travellers, rigorous contact tracing and technology-enforced quarantine. A group of scholars at King’s College London commented: “Taiwan’s use of technology – particularly electronic surveillance – has also contributed to its unprecedented success in addressing Covid-19.” An “electronic fence”. or active government contact tracing, enforces quarantines of both citizens and new arrivals.

The country’s past experience with viral health emergencies has created willingness in the Taiwanese to obey authority and accept digital surveillance. Whether the same measures would work in the UK is debatable. Quite apart from the public being unwilling to accept such restrictions, what must also be taken into account is that we are the most densely populated country in Europe, have considerably more visitors from overseas and have the highest death rate of lung disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the developed world.

Meanwhile, let us hope that the vaccines are successful in reducing rates of infections comparable to Taiwan’s, here and in other countries. Peter Lindahl Long Eaton