TAIPEI: Taiwan on Tuesday (Dec 22) reported its first locally transmitted case of COVID-19 in more than eight months.
The local case is a friend of a New Zealand pilot who tested positive for COVID-19, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung told a news conference.
He added that the woman in her 30s had close contact with the pilot, who was confirmed to have been infected on Sunday having flown flights to the United States.
Chen said the New Zealand national had not correctly reported all his contacts and list of places he had been, and that he may be in breach of Taiwan's communicable diseases law.
The government has published a list of places he went to in and around Taipei, and told people who may have been there to monitor their health.
The pilot - who faces a fine of up to NT$300,000 (US$10,600) - visited several establishments including a department store, say authorities.
According to a Facebook post by the health ministry, they were in contact from Dec 7 to Dec 12. She was also in contact with 167 people, of whom 13 have been quarantined.
Taiwan tech firm Quanta Storage said the woman was an employee at a subsidiary, and that contacts who had been tested so far had come back negative for the virus.
Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control (CDC) last reported a locally transmitted COVID-19 case on Apr 12.
The island also reported three more imported COVID-19 cases on Tuesday. Since the pandemic began, Taiwan has reported 771 COVID-19 cases and seven deaths.
Separately, the government said it would halve the number of flights to Britain, to just one a week, after a highly infectious new coronavirus strain was found in the country.
Those arriving in Taiwan from Britain, or who have been in Britain within the last 14 days, will also have to quarantine for 14 days in centralised quarantine facilities.
Earlier this month, Singapore said it would lift border restrictions for visitors from Taiwan from Dec 18.
Travellers can apply for a single-entry Air Travel Pass (ATP) to enter Singapore, said the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, adding that they must be in Taiwan for 14 consecutive days before departure.
Upon arrival, visitors will undergo a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and if the result is negative, they will be allowed to go about their activities in Singapore without serving a stay-home notice.
As part of the contact tracing process, travellers from Taiwan must download and register for the TraceTogether app on their mobile devices before entering Singapore and keep it activated during their stay. They must not delete it for 14 consecutive days after leaving Singapore.
WASHINGTON: The huge pandemic relief and spending bill includes billions of dollars to promote clean energy such as wind and solar power while sharply reducing over time the use of potent coolants in air conditioners and refrigerators that are considered a major driver of global warming.
The energy and climate provisions, supported by lawmakers from both parties, were hailed as the most significant climate change law in at least a decade.
"Republicans and Democrats are working together to protect the environment through innovation,” said Senator John Barrasso, chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
“This historic agreement includes three separate pieces of legislation that will significantly reduce greenhouse gases,'' Barrasso said, citing measures that promote technologies to “capture” and store carbon dioxide produced by power and manufacturing plants; reduce diesel emissions in buses and other vehicles; and authorise a 15-year reduction of hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, that are used in everything from cars to air conditioners. HFCs are considered a major driver of global warming and are being targeted worldwide.
"All three of these measures will protect our air while keeping costs down for the American people,'' Barrasso said.
The sprawling legislation also extends tax credits for solar and wind power that are a key part of President-elect Joe Biden's ambitious plan to generate 100 per cent “clean electricity” by 2035.
Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware, the top Democrat on the environment panel, said the bill would cut pollution from school buses, air conditioners, refrigerators and more, while creating thousands of American jobs and helping "save our planet from the climate crisis.''
“Make no mistake,'' he said, the new legislation "will soon be some of the most significant climate solutions to pass out of Congress to date.''
The bill won praise across the political spectrum, as environmental groups and major business organisations hailed an agreement years in the making.
“While much more remains to be done'' to address climate change, the bipartisan agreement “ramps up clean-energy research and development programs, bolsters energy efficiency, reauthorises a critical EPA program to reduce diesel pollution, advances a new DOE program to transition to electric school buses ... and rebukes (President Donald) Trump’s last attempts to slash environmental programs across the board,” said Matthew Davis, legislative director of the League of Conservation Voters.
Marty Durbin, a senior vice president at the Chamber of Commerce, called the package - the first major energy bill in more than a decade - “truly historic” and among the most significant action Congress has ever taken to address climate change.
“This package demonstrates the progress that is possible when businesses, environmental groups, labor and policymakers work together to find solutions on difficult issues,'' Durbin said. The bill will not only address climate change, but also "promote American technological leadership and foster continued economic growth,'' Durbin said.
The dramatic if gradual reduction of HFCs in particular “will bring significant climate relief relatively quickly,'' said Matt Casale, director of environment campaigns for the US Public Interest Research Group. He called the bill “a step forward” in a range of areas that will serve as a building block for the incoming Biden administration.
Much of the sweeping energy package - long promoted as a “down payment” on fighting climate change - was agreed to earlier this year, but the package fell apart in March over a dispute among Senate Republicans on the HFC provision.
Carper and Senator John Kennedy pushed for a measure they said would give US companies the certainty needed to produce “next generation” coolants as an alternative to HFCs. Both men represent states that are home to companies that produce the alternative refrigerants.
The Kennedy-Carper amendment was supported by dozens of senators, including 17 Republican co-sponsors. But the amendment was opposed by Senate GOP leadership, including Barrasso and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Barrasso said he worried the measure could add a layer of new federal rules onto a patchwork of current or future state rules regarding HFCs. He pushed for language ensuring that states would not impose stricter requirements than the federal rule. In the end, lawmakers agreed to prevent state and local governments from regulating HFCs for at least five years.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the Alaska Republican who chairs the Senate Energy Committee, said the energy package "will foster innovation across the board on a range of technologies that are critical to our energy and national security, our long-term economic competitiveness and the protection of our environment.''
In a separate development, the bill also includes nearly US$10 billion to reauthorise the Water Resources Development Act to pay for flood control, environmental restoration, coastal protection, harbour improvements and other projects.
DOVER, England: Countries across the globe shut their borders to Britain on Monday (Dec 21) due to fears about a highly infectious new coronavirus strain, causing travel chaos and raising the prospect of food shortages days before Britain is set to leave the European Union.
India, Pakistan, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Russia, Jordan and Hong Kong suspended travel for Britons after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said a mutated variant of the virus had been identified in the country. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman closed their borders completely.
Several other nations blocked travel from Britain over the weekend, including France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Ireland, Belgium and Canada - although experts said the strain may already be circulating in countries with less advanced detection methods than the United Kingdom.
France shut its border to arrivals of people and trucks from Britain, closing off one of the most important trade arteries with mainland Europe.
Trucks backed up for miles on the highway leading to the port of Dover, Britain's main trade gateway with the continent and thousands of Europe-bound drivers were stranded.
"My chances of going home for Christmas are going down. It's stupid and I am nervous and unhappy about that," said Stanislaw Olbrich, a 55-year-old Polish trucker 40km north of Dover.
The discovery of the new strain, just months before vaccines are expected to be widely available, sowed new panic in a pandemic that has killed about 1.7 million people worldwide and more than 67,000 in Britain.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo urged the US government to take steps to prevent the variant entering the United States, which has been worst hit by COVID-19 with almost 318,000 deaths.
"It's high time the federal government takes swift action, because today that variant is getting on a plane and landing in JFK, and all it takes is one person," he said.
British Airways agreed to allow only passengers who test negative for the coronavirus to fly to New York's John F Kennedy International Airport, he said.
US Assistant Health Secretary Brett Giroir said nothing had yet been decided on any travel ban.
European officials met via video link to coordinate their response to the new strain. The EU is on course to start vaccinations within a week after its medicines regulator approved the use of a shot from Pfizer and BioNTech on Monday.
Experts said there was no evidence that vaccines would not protect against this variant but they were working around the clock to determine whether the mutations would affect how well the shots guarded against infection.
The UK government's chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, said tighter restrictions on public life in Britain were likely.
"I will say that the evidence on this virus is it spreads easily, it's more transmissible, we absolutely need to make sure we've got the right level of restrictions in place," Vallance told a news conference hosted by Johnson.
"And I think it's likely therefore that measures need to need to be increased in some places in due course, not reduced."
FOOD SHORTAGES WARNING
As well as the traffic jams around British ports, trucks were also backed up in Calais and other French ports. Although they are allowed to cross from France to Britain, the logistics chain that keeps the goods moving has been thrown out of kilter.
"No driver wants to deliver to the UK now, so the UK is going to see its freight supply dry up," France's FNTR national road-haulage federation said.
British supermarket chains Sainsbury's and Tesco said shortages would start to appear within days if transport ties were not quickly restored.
"If nothing changes, we will start to see gaps over the coming days on lettuce, some salad leaves, cauliflowers, broccoli and citrus fruit - all of which are imported from the continent at this time of year," Sainsbury's said.
The global alarm was reflected in financial markets.
Travellers with they suitcases sit at the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras International, as EU countries impose a travel ban from the UK following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in London, Britain, on Dec 21, 2020. (Photo: REUTERS/Hannah McKay)
European shares slumped, with travel and leisure stocks bearing the brunt. British Airways-owner IAG and easyJet dropped about 7 per cent, while Air France KLM lost around 3 per cent.
Wall Street also felt the pain, with losses across the board. The S&P 1500 airlines index slid 3 per cent, while leading cruise operators fell about 4 per cent.
The British pound tumbled 2.5 per cent against the dollar at one point before paring some of the losses, while the yield on two-year UK government bonds hit a record low.
CHRISTMAS CLAMPDOWN
Johnson cancelled Christmas plans for millions of British people on Saturday due to the more infectious coronavirus strain, though he said there was no evidence that it was either more lethal or caused a more severe illness.
The new variant and restrictions in Britain compound the chaos as the country prepares to finally part ways with the European Union, possibly without a trade deal, when the Brexit transition period at 2300 GMT on Dec 31.
Talks on a Brexit trade deal continued on Monday but Johnson said there were still problems and the position was unchanged.
The new variant, which scientists said was 40-70 per cent more transmissible, is rapidly become the dominant strain in parts of southern England, including London.
Experts tracking it said there was some early but unconfirmed evidence that it could transmit as readily among children as among adults, unlike previous dominant strains.
Cases of the new strain have also been in detected in some other countries, including Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands.
Australia said two people who travelled from Britain to New South Wales state were carrying the mutated virus. It axed dozens of domestic flights while New South Wales locked down more than 250,000 people.
Some scientists said the prevalence discovered in Britain might be down to more thorough detection.
"I think we will find in the coming days that a lot of other countries will find it," Marc Van Ranst, a virologist from the Rega Institute for Medical Research in Belgium, told broadcaster VRT.
SINGAPORE: Singapore received its first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines on Monday (Dec 21) evening, making it the first country in Asia to take in the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.
The shipment was transported on flight SQ7979 via a Singapore Airlines (SIA) 747-400 freighter, which departed on Sunday from Brussels and landed at Singapore Changi Airport at 7.36pm on Monday.
The vaccines were received by Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung and were taken to SATS’ cold-chain facility for storage and ground transportation.
(From left) Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong, Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung, Captain Sam Llewellyn, First Officer Wilson Lee Wei Chong at Changi Airport as Singapore's first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines arrives on a Singapore Airlines Cargo aircraft, Dec 21, 2020. (Photo: Try Sutrisno Foo)
Speaking to reporters, Mr Ong talked about Singapore's intention to become a regional hub for the transportation of COVID-19 vaccines.
"We believe we have the capabilities to do so, to play a role to help supply and distribute to the region. I think there are two kinds of thoughts now in terms of vaccine delivery. Some countries of course would prefer direct delivery because they will think that is fast, point-to-point delivery," he said.
"(But) we can also play a role as a hub for distribution and transportation to the region. I don't think they're mutually exclusive ... I believe when things stabilise there will be demand for both. And we hope Singapore can play a positive, constructive role for the region," he added.
Mr Ong said local logistics firms have been trained to meet the standards set by the World Health Organization when it comes to handling the cargo "safely".
"In terms of capacity, we have quite a huge capacity, more than adequate to handle temperature-controlled cargo ... For example, next year, the estimated cargo movement for vaccines is about 65,000 tonnes worldwide. Last year alone, SATS handled 300,000 tonnes (of temperature-controlled cargo)," he said.
Mr Ong also talked about how the Changi Ready TaskForce had been looking at the possible challenges of transporting the vaccines.
"One example was when they got to know that the Pfizer vaccine requires minus 70 degrees Celsius storage, they started to look at dry ice production. Today SATS can produce four tonnes of dry ice every day (in its own facilities). So problem by problem, they've resolved. They did trial runs and today the first shipment arrived safely," he said.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced on Dec 14 that Singapore authorities had approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for pandemic use and that the first shipment would arrive by end-December. The vaccine shipment comes a week before Singapore is set to go into Phase 3 of its reopening on Dec 28.
Mr Lee said on Monday evening he was "delighted" to see the successful arrival of the first shipment, describing it as a "welcome 'present' that we've all been looking forward to".
In a Facebook post, he thanked the agencies and workers that made the shipment possible, and said the multi-ministry task force handling the COVID-19 outbreak in Singapore would announce details of the roll-out "in due course".
"It's been a long and arduous year. I hope that this news will give Singaporeans cheer this festive season, and reason to be optimistic for 2021," he said.
A Singapore Airlines cargo pellet containing Singapore's first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines is unloaded from the aircraft on Dec 21, 2020. (Photo: Try Sutrisno Foo)
Singapore is one of the first few countries to approve and get COVID-19 vaccines. Others that have approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are Britain, the United States, Canada, Switzerland, Bahrain and Qatar. Britain, the US and Canada are already carrying out vaccination exercises.
Vaccinations in Singapore will be voluntary and priority will be given to those at greatest risk, such as frontline and healthcare workers, as well as the elderly and the vulnerable, Mr Lee had said.
Thereafter, an Expert Committee on COVID-19 Vaccination has proposed to progressively vaccinate the rest of the population and to cover everyone who wants a vaccination by the end of 2021. Vaccinations will be free for all Singaporeans as well as long-term residents currently in Singapore.
Singapore's first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines is unloaded at Changi Airport on Dec 21, 2020. (Photo: Try Sutrisno Foo)
Mr Lee has said that he and his Cabinet colleagues will be getting themselves vaccinated early to show everyone that they believe the vaccines are safe. For the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, two doses are required, to be administered 21 days apart.
Singapore has also signed advance purchase agreements for other promising vaccine candidates, including those developed by Moderna and Sinovac.
The vaccine that arrived on Monday, developed by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German firm BioNTech, has an efficacy rate of 95 per cent. However, pregnant women, people with compromised immune systems and those under the age of 16 should not receive the vaccine as the safety and efficacy data on these groups are not available yet.
In addition, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has said that people with a history of anaphylaxis or the rapid onset of severe allergic reactions should not receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as a precautionary measure. This is similar to advisories issued in Britain and the US.
The safety profile of the vaccine is “generally consistent” with other registered vaccines, according to HSA. Some people may experience side effects such as pain, redness, swelling at the injection site, as well as fatigue, headache and muscle ache after vaccination.
Singapore's first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines is unloaded at Changi Airport on Dec 21, 2020. (Photo: Try Sutrisno Foo)
While not everyone will experience these side effects, they are "common and expected" as part of the body’s natural response to build immunity against COVID-19, said HSA.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which uses mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) technology, needs to be kept at minus 70 degrees Celsius, which presents some logistical challenges.
The new technology uses genetic material in the form of mRNA to teach our cells to make “spike proteins” that trigger an immune response. In contrast, traditional vaccines put a weakened or inactivated germ into our bodies.
The number of new COVID-19 cases in Singapore has declined significantly since reaching highs in April largely due to widespread transmission in the migrant worker community.
Ten new COVID-19 cases were reported in Singapore on Monday, nine of which were imported, according to the Ministry of Health’s daily update.
Mr Chin Yau Seng, SIA’s senior vice-president of cargo said: “The delivery of this first batch of COVID-19 vaccines to Singapore is an important milestone in the fight against COVID-19, and we are honoured to be able to play a part in this.
“It also served to demonstrate the Singapore readiness for the very important job of transporting and distributing COVID-19 vaccines internationally.”
SIA said it had conducted a successful shipment trial on Dec 19 on the same freighter flight route using thermal shippers, which are also known as cool boxes. The internal temperature of each box was actively tracked throughout the delivery.
DHL Global Forwarding arranged for the collection of the vaccines from the manufacturing site in Puurs, Belgium and will deliver the vaccines to an undisclosed location in Singapore. The logistics firm will also handle the return of the thermal shipper boxes that the vaccines came in to Europe.
