Successful In Preventing Coronavirus Spread, Taiwan Unable To Discuss Lessons At WHO Assembly; Activists’ Cyberattacks Increase Against Agency

Reuters: WHO says faces ‘onslaught’ of cyberattacks as Taiwan complains of censorship
“The World Health Organization said on Thursday it had faced an ‘onslaught’ of cyberattacks by activists using key words like ‘Taiwan,’ after the government complained posts in support of the self-ruled island were being censored on Facebook. Fiercely democratic Taiwan, which China claims as its own, has been angered by its inability to fully access the WHO, of which it is not a member due to China’s objections, during the COVID-19 pandemic…” (Nebehay/Blanchard, 11/12).

Wall Street Journal: Taiwan Stopped Covid-19’s Spread, but Can’t Talk About It at WHO Meeting
“…Taiwan hasn’t recorded a locally transmitted coronavirus infection in about seven months but has been blocked from participating in a virtual gathering this week of the WHO’s 194-member World Health Assembly because of objections from Beijing, which considers the self-ruled island part of its territory. … Among the key lessons Taiwan has learned, its health officials say: Testing needs to be deployed in conjunction with an effective quarantine program, and making the program work isn’t just about enforcement but supporting those who are quarantined…” (Deng, 11/12).

The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search.

KFF Headquarters: 185 Berry St., Suite 2000, San Francisco, CA 94107 | Phone 650-854-9400
Washington Offices and Barbara Jordan Conference Center: 1330 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005 | Phone 202-347-5270

www.kff.org | Email Alerts: kff.org/email | facebook.com/KFF | twitter.com/kff

The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news, KFF is a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California.