Beijing tells Taiwan to be better over virus
China on Thursday urged Taiwan authorities to draw lessons from their misdiagnosis of COVID-19 cases and uphold a rigorous scientific attitude in epidemic prevention and control.
People’s lives and health are not to be played with, and the diagnosis of COVID-19 cases should not become a tool for political manipulation, said Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, in response to a media question about a mistake by Taiwan health authorities on the COVID-19 test of a Taiwan businessman who returned to the island from the mainland.
Taiwan’s epidemic monitoring agency admitted on Wednesday that the businessman was diagnosed with COVID-19 by mistake. The testing lab had mixed up his sample with another Taiwan resident who returned from France the same day.
“This is not the first time that Taiwan authorities have had problems in the diagnosis of COVID-19 cases,” Zhu said, adding Taiwan authorities owe the Taiwan businessman an apology.
Taiwan’s epidemic monitoring authority declared a Taiwan resident, who returned from Wuhan on February 3, a confirmed case. The incident triggered speculation and of rumors.