TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei on Monday (May 24) opened 20 rapid testing stations to better detect COVID-19 cases in the 11 other districts beyond the hotspot of Wanhua.
At a press conference on Sunday (May 23), Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) announced that all 20 hospitals in the city with an emergency room would open a rapid screening station on Monday. The stations will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to enable those who have come in contact with confirmed cases or have overt symptoms to undergo rapid testing for the virus.
Ko said that the four testing stations set up in Wanhua have tested 1,299 people, with 8.47 percent testing positive for COVID-19. Ko said the high positivity rate indicates that community transmission is still ongoing and that testing should be expanded to the rest of the city.
The mayor pointed out that the absence of symptoms does not mean that there is no infection, but it does mean the amount of virus is low and that infectivity is also low. He then stressed: "I still want to appeal to residents to only come if they have symptoms. These tests are not for your peace of mind."
The following are the hospitals where rapid testing stations have been set up:
- Taipei Veterans General Hospital (台北榮民總醫院)
- Cheng Hsing General Hospital (振興醫院)
- Shin Kong Wu Ho Su Memorial Hospital (新光吳火獅紀念醫院)
- MacKay Memorial Hospital (馬偕紀念醫院)
- Kang-Ning General Hospital (康寧醫院)
- Tri-Service General Hospital Songshan Branch (三軍總醫院及其松山分院)
- Taipei Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (台北長庚紀念醫院)
- Taiwan Adventist Hospital (台安醫院)
- Pojen General Hospital (博仁綜合醫院)
- Taipei Medical University Hospital (台北醫學大學附設醫院)
- Taipei Municipal Wanfang Hospital (萬芳醫院)
- Cathay General Hospital (國泰綜合醫院)
- National Taiwan University Hospital (台灣大學醫學院附設醫院)
- West Garden Hospital (西園醫院)
- Taipei City Hospital (5 branches) (聯合醫院5個院區)
