On Control of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons from Taiwan

COVID-19疫情控制－－臺灣經驗

到2021年1月18日，台灣已經有855名COVID-19確診個案。其中756人是境外移入，而60人是本土感染。其中7人死亡(死亡率約為0.82%)，775人已經解除隔離或是恢復健康，其餘的繼續隔離觀察。台灣快速而且正確的處理COVID-19肺炎，不論是在亞洲或是世界各國間，都認為是相當成功的經驗。控制疫情傳播的做法，有幾項是特別重要的：快速的邊境管制、感控物資的超前部署、政府尊重醫療專業來制定防疫政策、每日記者會及透過媒體提升民眾健康識能，所以民眾願意配合包括旅遊禁令、隔離檢疫、自主健康管理、洗手、戴口罩、和保持社交距離…等。針對不實的謠言散佈，也給予罰鍰或刑事究責。但是，更重要的是，台灣有堅強的基層醫療網絡。透過社區醫師的詳細問診、專業評估、和縝密的感控流程，我們避免了國家醫療體系的崩壞，也能保存平常照顧慢性病和一般病痛的醫療量能。面對全球疫情的威脅，家庭醫師屹立前哨，「走在最前，守到最後」。我們相信台灣經驗和做法，對於其他國家也是很好的學習，除了對抗頑強的COVID-19肺炎，面對未來可能的未知病原威脅，也能有效防治。

As of January 18, 2021 Taiwan has 855 COVID-19 confirmed cases, 756 are people from abroad and 60 are domestic. Seven patients have died (0.82% mortality rate), 775 have recovered or relieve from isolation, and the rest are being quarantined. Taiwan has handled the pandemic with alacrity and seems to be successfully managing the process compared with many others in Asia Pacific and around the world. The important things we had done to prevent the spread of the virus were the following items: immediate border control and early preparation; trusting medical experts making the disease control policy; communicating with the people so they can trust the government and practice the recommendations from the command center, such as travel restriction, quarantine, self-isolation, hand washing, social distance, wearing masks, and being fined or incarcerated for spread rumors. However, Taiwan’s primary care network along with family physicians still play a very important role in quickly mounting and sustaining the containment measure and preventing the overwhelming of the nation’s medical system.“First in, last out”is the role of family physicians in the fight against the threatening pandemic. We believe our strategy and experience will be useful for other countries to implement more effective measures to weather the spread of COVID-19, or other unknown pathogen outbreaks in the future.