CECC Urged to Set Up Dedicated COVID Hospital 迎戰疫情高峰 開設專責醫院建議聲浪起

Domestic confirmed cases of COVID-19 have exceeded the 60,000 per day mark. People from all walks of life are worried that the epidemic's peak will come next, which may overload the medical capacity. Some are calling on the Central Epidemic Command Center to consider stricter isolation measures and to set up dedicated COVID hospitals. 

There are still long queues in the screening area outside the hospital's emergency room. Domestic confirmed cases of COVID-19 have exceeded the 60,000 per day mark. The number of confirmed cases has accumulated to 478,870 from January 1 to May 11 this year. People from all walks of life are worried that the epidemic's peak period may cause medical overload, and call on the Central Epidemic Command Center to consider stricter isolation measures. They also recommend the CECC set up a dedicated COVID hospital.

Huang Li-min, Honorary Chairperson, Infectious Diseases Society of Taiwan: “Hospitals need to deal with virus control and ordinary patients at the same time. The burden on the hospital is very heavy. A better approach is to consider setting up a dedicated hospital in the northern, central, and southern parts of the country that will only accept COVID patients. The other hospitals will continue to deal with normal patients.”

Huang said that there is a possibility of a delay in the peak period, which means that the whole country may have to fight a long-term war with the virus. He suggests setting up designated hospitals in northern, central, and southern Taiwan to treat patients who have been diagnosed. This will allow the hospital to thoroughly implement infection control and avoid crowding out other patients and help lower deaths and infections. According to the CECC's statistics, the current domestic vaccine coverage rate of the population is 85.54 percent for the first dose, 80.64 percent for the second dose, and 62.32 percent for the third dose. Infectious doctors believe that vaccine coverage and natural infection must reach at least 80 percent of the population before the country can reach herd immunity.

Huang Kao-pin, Deputy Superintendent, China Medical University Hospital: “The number of infected was 65,000 on the 12th. If the number of infections remains at 65,000 per day, it will take almost 50 days for 3 million infections. So under reasonable circumstances, it might be until the end of June at the earliest if we want to achieve herd immunity and loosen restrictions.”

The doctor said that since 2020, a total of more than 500,000 people have been diagnosed in Taiwan, accounting for about 2.5 percent of the country's total population. Adding in unreported cases and multiplied by five, it is roughly estimated that about 12.5 percent of the population has been infected. The current booster shot coverage rate is 62.32 percent. Thus, the total is nearly 75 percent. Currently, the public is highly willing to get vaccinated due to the current epidemic situation. The country will be closer to opening up if the infection rate and the vaccine coverage rate can add up to 80 percent.

拿著檢測試劑耐心等候，醫院急診室外的篩檢區依舊排著長長的人龍，國內新冠本土確診病例單日已經突破6萬大關，從今年1月1日至5月11日，染疫人數也已累計47萬8870例，各界就憂心疫情高峰期恐釀醫療量能過載，呼籲指揮中心考量加嚴居隔措施，也建議開設專責醫院。

台灣感染症醫學會名譽理事長黃立民認為：「醫院同時要做感控，又要處理一般的病人，其實對醫院的負擔是非常重，比較好的做法當然是可以考慮，在北中南各有一個專責醫院，他們只收新冠的，醫院還是保留下來處理我們平常就會碰到的病人。」

黃立民表示，高峰期有延遲可能性，這意味著全民恐得長期抗戰，未來規劃出北中南開設專責醫院，專門收治確診者，徹底落實院內感控，避免排擠其他病人，死傷才不會持續擴大。根據指揮中心統計，目前國內新冠疫苗接種人口涵蓋率第一劑85.54%、第二劑80.64%、第三劑62.32%，感染科醫師認為，疫苗打完追加劑跟自然感染的比例，至少要達到人口8成，才比較可能有群體保護力。

中國醫藥大學附設醫院副院長黃高彬表示：「昨天我們感染人數是6萬5（千人），（感染人數）300萬（人）的話，每天6萬5（千人）的話就差不多要50天，所以合理的情況之下，我們要達到群體免疫，能夠達到完全解封的話，可能最快到6月底才有可能解封。」

醫師表示，從2020至今國內確診已累計50幾萬人，占全國總人口數約2.5％，再以染疫黑數5倍計算，粗估約12.5％確診，加上目前追加劑接種率62.32%，共計已近75%，且民眾施打意願受疫情影響程度高，若接下來感染比率與疫苗覆蓋率相加能到80%，國內距離解封、開放才會更接近。