(Updated: 11 Nov 2021 07:05PM)
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12 bereaved families that are seeking an apology and 60 million new Taiwan dollars (US$2 million) in compensation from the government, saying it was underprepared - despite it being a year and a half into the pandemic - leading to unnecessary deaths and suffering.
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Taiwan’s experience shows how quickly the virus can destabilize health care systems even when the caseload is relatively low. To date, the island of 24 million people has had 16,465 cases and 848 deaths. Yet, the loss for each family cuts as deeply as anywhere else.
Relatives of victims elsewhere are also seeking answers. A raft of lawsuits have been filed in France over shortages of masks and test kits early in the outbreak. The British government has agreed to hold a public inquiry into its handling of the pandemic, partly in response to threats of legal action.
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At the height of the outbreak, Chen couldn't get an ambulance for her mother, who tested positive on May 23 and had been feverish. They waited four days for an ambulance.
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Taiwan had a limited stock of remdesivir, an anti-viral drug from Gilead, which has demonstrated mixed results
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Further, it wasn't covered by the island's national health insurance scheme, making it affordable only for a small percent of the population.
Su said they only had treatments such as steroids. “If they needed oxygen, we would give them oxygen, and if they really weren’t OK, then we would have to intubate them,” he said. “That's all we could do.”
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/ta...en-2306826