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CNN Sunday Morning
12 More SARS Deaths Reported in Taiwan
Aired May 25, 2003 - 07:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: In Taiwan, 12 more SARS related deaths were reported today, bringing the total on the island to 72 dead with 570 total infections.
Our Mike Chinoy joins us now from live from Taipei, with more on Taiwan's outbreak.
Hi, Mike.
MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Andrea. Well, yes, you're right, the officials here announcing 12 new deaths. A bit of a blow because on Saturday, they had no deaths at all. The signals are very mixed in Taiwan's SARS epidemic. Despite the new deaths, the number of new cases reported today was only 22. That's significantly lower than what was reported a few days back.
And health officials are saying now that they are convinced that the outbreak here is stabilizing, that they are gradually getting it under control. And in a series of statements, they have urged people to resume ordinary life, go about their business as usual.
There has been something close to panic, at times, here in Taipei in recent days, as fear of the virus has spread and much of what the authorities appear to be doing with these statements is simply trying to calm people down.
Taiwan, however, is not out of the woods yet. About a week or a little over a week ago, there were clusters of SARS cases at several hospitals here in Taipei and in the southern city of Gaushoong (ph).
Now with the normal 10 day incubation period, the big question mark is whether or not those cases which came to light about a week ago, whether those people infected others before they were determined to have SARS. And so, we won't really know until the middle of the coming week whether or not those people who were infected have spread the disease further.
If not, then Taiwan may begin to feel more confident that it's slowly beginning to get to grips with the disease -- Andrea?
KOPPEL: Mike, we knew earlier that Beijing had offered to send not only some experts, but also some medical supplies to Taiwan. But the leadership there in Taiwan turned down the offer. Why?
CHINOY: Well, both Beijing and the government here in Taipei have been playing politics with SARS. The Taiwan authorities have tried to use the outbreak to push their case that Taiwan should be given observer status in the World Health Organization. And Beijing blocked that bid on Monday when the World Health Organization had its annual meeting in Geneva.
From China's point of view, having successfully stifled Taiwan's attempt to get greater international legitimacy by becoming part of the WHO, Beijing has now made this offer. Taiwanese officials angrily rejecting it, accusing it of simply being a propaganda stunt. Many officials here blame mainland China for the outbreak, saying that the cover-ups in the mainland at the beginning are what allowed SARS to spread beyond the borders of mainland China and indeed to come to Taiwan. So both sides sniping at each other, even as concern about the disease in both countries persists -- Andrea?
KOPPEL: More than 40 years after the civil war ended, politics continues. Mike Chinoy in Taipei, thanks so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 25, 2003 - 07:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: In Taiwan, 12 more SARS related deaths were reported today, bringing the total on the island to 72 dead with 570 total infections.
Our Mike Chinoy joins us now from live from Taipei, with more on Taiwan's outbreak.
Hi, Mike.
MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Andrea. Well, yes, you're right, the officials here announcing 12 new deaths. A bit of a blow because on Saturday, they had no deaths at all. The signals are very mixed in Taiwan's SARS epidemic. Despite the new deaths, the number of new cases reported today was only 22. That's significantly lower than what was reported a few days back.
And health officials are saying now that they are convinced that the outbreak here is stabilizing, that they are gradually getting it under control. And in a series of statements, they have urged people to resume ordinary life, go about their business as usual.
There has been something close to panic, at times, here in Taipei in recent days, as fear of the virus has spread and much of what the authorities appear to be doing with these statements is simply trying to calm people down.
Taiwan, however, is not out of the woods yet. About a week or a little over a week ago, there were clusters of SARS cases at several hospitals here in Taipei and in the southern city of Gaushoong (ph).
Now with the normal 10 day incubation period, the big question mark is whether or not those cases which came to light about a week ago, whether those people infected others before they were determined to have SARS. And so, we won't really know until the middle of the coming week whether or not those people who were infected have spread the disease further.
If not, then Taiwan may begin to feel more confident that it's slowly beginning to get to grips with the disease -- Andrea?
KOPPEL: Mike, we knew earlier that Beijing had offered to send not only some experts, but also some medical supplies to Taiwan. But the leadership there in Taiwan turned down the offer. Why?
CHINOY: Well, both Beijing and the government here in Taipei have been playing politics with SARS. The Taiwan authorities have tried to use the outbreak to push their case that Taiwan should be given observer status in the World Health Organization. And Beijing blocked that bid on Monday when the World Health Organization had its annual meeting in Geneva.
From China's point of view, having successfully stifled Taiwan's attempt to get greater international legitimacy by becoming part of the WHO, Beijing has now made this offer. Taiwanese officials angrily rejecting it, accusing it of simply being a propaganda stunt. Many officials here blame mainland China for the outbreak, saying that the cover-ups in the mainland at the beginning are what allowed SARS to spread beyond the borders of mainland China and indeed to come to Taiwan. So both sides sniping at each other, even as concern about the disease in both countries persists -- Andrea?
KOPPEL: More than 40 years after the civil war ended, politics continues. Mike Chinoy in Taipei, thanks so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
