Determinants of Taiwan's Early Containment of COVID-19 Incidence

ABSTRACT

SARS EXPERIENCE AND EMERGING RESPONSE SYSTEM The SARS outbreak in 2003 was a wakeup call for Taiwan and, in the outbreak's aftermath, most of Taiwan's hospitals and health care facilities established fever-screening stations and triage systems, along with 1100 negative pressure wards under the guidance of the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). [...]when a patient develops influenza-like symptoms, the Taiwan CDC can proactively determine whether the patient belongs to a high-risk group for COVID-19. [...]the number of local cases has only increased very slightly, without a sign of wide community spread. [...]the initial preventive measures are still effective, but there is still widespread recognition in Taiwan that continued vigilance is imperative to prevent further spread of the virus.