Report by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
On 13 May 2021, the President of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, spoke to the Taiwanese people at the Presidential Palace at 7 pm. She said that vaccines purchased abroad have entered the delivery period, and the Taiwanese covi vaccine is expected to begin the first batch of supply at the end of July 2021 as the domestic vaccine research and development has entered the second phase of clinical trials.
Speaking of the Taiwan epidemic, Tsai Ing-wen said that the vaccines ordered from abroad will be delivered in batches. The competent authority should keep track of the progress. The Taiwan covi vaccine producer is expected to start supplying the first wave of Taiwanese vaccines at the end of July.
Tsai Ing-wen requires all local government jurisdictions to implement epidemic prevention measures, command centres to grasp the source of infection, effectively prevent the spread of the epidemic, and at the same time publish correct and complete information to stabilize the public. She also said that domestic supplies are abundant and people do not need to panic buying to avoid the risk of gathering. This situation has also been experienced last year, and people who panic buying are worried.
The Taiwanese President also talked about the island blackout on 13 May 2021. She said that this afternoon, the Kaohsiung Xingda Power Plant caused a nationwide power outage due to a power grid accident. She has apologized to the people in Taiwan. The goal is to complete all power supply at 9.40 pm tonight.
The full text of the President’s remarks on 13 May 2021
First of all, this afternoon, the Kaohsiung Xingda Power Plant was shut down due to a power grid accident, causing power outages in many parts of the country. I would like to express my apologies to the people. Today's reserve transfer capacity rate is 10.01%. The power plants are generating normal power generation, which is not the problem of the power plants.
The cause of today’s accident is the power transmission and distribution grid problem, which highlights the importance of the balanced power supply in Taiwan’s districts and also highlights the importance of grid risk management. In order to ensure the safety of the "power system", Taipower has started to supply power in different districts and is currently restoring power supply. Our goal is to complete all power supply at 9.40 pm tonight.
Recently, due to the increase in the domestic epidemic situation, the epidemic command center has upgraded the epidemic prevention level. Today we are also holding a high-level meeting of national security to discuss how various agencies respond to changes in the epidemic and what they may encounter in the future to ensure epidemic prevention. The work can be fully carried out to stabilize the people's hearts.
Over the past year or so, thanks to the joint efforts of the government and the private sector, united in the prevention of the epidemic, Taiwan can achieve the usual life that all countries in the world have hoped for. However, recently we have also noticed that everyone's vigilance towards epidemic prevention is a little lax. In the face of the global epidemic rising, the situation in neighboring countries is severe, and Taiwan is also experiencing local infections, I would like to ask you not to relax. I want to particularly emphasize that the situation we are facing now, whether it is local infection, community prevention, or material rush, these phenomena have occurred in the past, but every time we rely on unity to prevent the epidemic, we can overcome difficulties.
I also hope that with this increase in the epidemic, everyone can be more vigilant, strengthen epidemic prevention and preparation work at all levels, and do every step well, so that Taiwan can continue to build a strong epidemic prevention fortress amidst unpredictable changes in the epidemic.
In today’s meeting, there are several key points of work:
First, the command center has raised the alert level of the epidemic the day before yesterday. The epidemic is a national security issue, and epidemic prevention is equivalent to combat. I would like to ask the Executive Yuan to assume the responsibility of coordinating and directing, and instruct and supervise the central authorities and local governments strictly require the scope of business management and all places in the jurisdiction to implement various epidemic prevention measures to effectively control the epidemic.
Second, in terms of the epidemic, the command centre must grasp the source of this wave of infection as soon as possible, and conduct follow-up investigations, review all infection paths one by one and warn all possible contacts, and must effectively prevent the spread of the epidemic. At the same time, correct and complete information must be released to stabilize the public's minds.
Third, in terms of vaccine preparation, the vaccines we order from abroad will enter the delivery period in batches after six months. I would like to ask the competent authority to keep abreast of the progress and make preparations in advance for distribution.
The part of domestic vaccine research and development has now entered the second phase of clinical trials. It is expected that the first wave of domestic vaccines can be supplied by the end of July. Therefore, the command center must now plan ahead to encourage people to make reservations to register so that follow-up operations can be carried out in an orderly manner. The more people vaccinated, the stronger the protection of the group, and the safer Taiwan will be.
In addition, in order to ensure that we can effectively respond to the challenges of various epidemics in the future, the government will expand the capacity of domestic vaccine production and research and development to support future domestic demand.
Fourth, in terms of epidemic prevention and the preparation of civilian and biological resources, at present, both materials and raw materials are very sufficient, and the supply is absolutely safe. Relevant agencies must ensure the smooth flow of supply channels and provide the public with complete and sufficient information. I also appeal to the public that since there are ample supplies, they do not need to panic to avoid the risk of gathering. In fact, we all experienced these things like robbing toilet paper and instant noodles last year. Afterwards, it proved that the people who rushed to buy were really worried.
Fifth, regarding economic and financial preparation. Although the stock market has experienced short-term fluctuations in the past few days, the fundamentals of the domestic economy are sound, financial institutions have stable operations, listed companies have made very good profits, and the economic growth rate in the first quarter has reached more than 8%.
From various perspectives, the volatility of the stock market is mainly affected by the psychological aspect. I would like to ask all relevant agencies to pay close attention to the stock and foreign exchange market dynamics and maintain the normal operation and stability of the financial market.
In addition, the Executive Yuan today also passed a draft amendment to the special regulations, planning to extend the relief and revitalization measures for one year, and the total budget will be increased by another 210 billion yuan. The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Economy have also planned short-term response measures. I believe that as long as everyone can implement the epidemic prevention and control the epidemic quickly, we are confident that the economy can achieve another success this year.
Sixth, I want to remind everyone that some false messages have appeared one after another in the past few days. The purpose may be to stir social emotions or to undermine the people's confidence in the command centre. We will launch a special investigation to track down the dissemination of false information and provide correct information to the public. But I want to emphasize once again that in the past period of time, whether it was on issues such as footprint announcement standards or general screening, the command centre has proven that their judgment and handling are correct with a high degree of professionalism and rich experience.
Please rest assured, trust the command centre and do not be misled by wrong information. Finally, I want to appeal to everyone that epidemic prevention is not a matter of Commander Chen Shizhong alone, nor is it a matter of a unit in the command center.
Various government departments will coordinate with each other, and the central and local governments should also cooperate with each other, because each of us is an indispensable member of the general mobilization for epidemic prevention.
Unite to prevent the epidemic from worsening, and guard Taiwan. As long as everyone works hard to prevent outbreaks, wash hands frequently, wear masks, cooperate with the implementation system, do not panic, be vigilant, and implement every aspect of epidemic prevention.
I am confident that we will definitely defeat the virus.
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