The Chinese-language United Daily News (UDN) yesterday reported that an FDA expert panel remained largely unchanged from last year to May 6. The KMT caucus has requested transparency in the EUA process to ensure that it is not treated as a mere formality, he said. The meetings on May 6 and May 28 were convened to discuss methods of evaluating vaccine efficacy and whether immunobridging could be used in the EUA process, it said. The second meeting was called to discuss EUA standards in detail, so the scientists involved in clinical trials were not invited, it said, adding that statisticians were sought, as the topic required their expertise. Such meetings inform the agency’s decisions, but are distinct from those held to decide EUA standards, so it was willful misrepresentation by the media, the FDA said.

FSC approves two e-payment firmsBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterPxmart (全聯) and FamilyMart Co Ltd (全家便利商店) yesterday gained Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) approval to provide electronic payment services through subsidiaries, the FSC said yesterday. Twenty-eight companies offer e-payment services in Taiwan, with 13 million users as of the end of April, FSC data showed. PxPay has 7 million members, while 13 million Taiwanese have a FamilyMart membership, it added. In related news, a MasterCard Taiwan (萬事達) survey found that more than 75 percent of respondents used mobile payment tools more often than they did before a surge of COVID-19 cases last month. Half of the respondents used the tools every day, up 30 percentage points from before the outbreak, the company said.

Retail sales drop amid restricted in-person shoppingBy Angelica Oung and Lisa Wang / Staff reportersRetail sales dropped 5.8 percent sequentially to NT$309.6 billion (US$11.06 billion) last month as shopping malls were hit hard by measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, Ministry of Economic Affairs data showed on Wednesday. On an annual basis, retail sales gained 2.8 percent, the data showed. As people were advised not to go out, e-commerce sales expanded 21.6 percent to NT$24.9 billion, it showed. The downward trend in retail sales is expected to carry into this month, the ministry said, citing a survey it conducted. On a month-on-month basis, wholesale revenue declined 1.8 percent, the ministry said, adding that the downward trend would likely persist this month.

COVID-19: NPP downplays the role of rapid test kits sold in storesBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterHaving rapid COVID-19 test kits available at stores would not effectively block community spread of the virus, as people might not report the results, the New Power Party (NPP) said yesterday. NPP Legislator Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) hosted an online news conference after the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Saturday last week approved five rapid test kits for sale. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should collect local data to ensure that test results are as accurate as the manufacturers claim, she said. Test results can be skewed if people do not follow the instructions properly or kits were not properly stored, Chien said. “Rapid test kits for COVID-19 are not must-have household items, and test results are more useful in areas with relatively more confirmed cases,” Chien said.

COVID-19: KMT increases criticism of ‘failed’ vaccine policyBy Lin Liang-sheng and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday doubled down on its criticism of the government’s COVID-19 vaccine policy, saying it has failed to make adequate preparations for emerging variants. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang, third right, and other party members outside the Landseed Hospital in Taoyuan yesterday hold signs and donations for the hospital. Photo: Hsu Chuo-hsun, Taipei Times“We have made no preparations to administer three [COVID-19] vaccine jabs or acquire second-generation vaccines,” he said. Taiwan should pursue international COVID-19 vaccine contract manufacturing orders, purchase huge quantities of vaccines and develop second-generation vaccines domestically, Chu said. The KMT supports Taiwan developing its own COVID-19 vaccines, but their safety should be backed by international certification, or Taiwan’s biotechnology industry would be damaged if locally made vaccines turn out to be problematic, he said.

COVID-19: Airline crew, rail ticket rules alteredBy Shelley ShanThe Ministry of Transportation and Communications from Thursday next week is to enforce new COVID-19 prevention measures, including new quarantine requirements for airline cabin crew, while people are to be allowed to book train tickets 30 minutes before boarding. Airline cabin crew walk through a terminal at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Dec. 27 last year. Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei TimesThey are required to take a PCR test on the seventh day and a rapid test on the 14th day, it said. A PCR test would be administered on the fifth day, it said, adding that rapid tests would be conducted on the ninth and 14 days. Those who fail to pick up a ticket three times within one month would not be able to book tickets for one month, it said.

Cryptominers flee China as crackdown intensifiesBloombergBitcoin miners are moving out of China as authorities intensify their crackdown, the heads of some of the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchanges said. There’s big shipments.”Chao said he has seen movement by clients in Binance’s mining pool, which combines the computing power of number-crunching machines that verify cryptocurrency transactions. The hashrate, which measures the processing power used in bitcoin mining and is used as a proxy for mining activity, has also dropped by about 40 percent in the past couple of weeks, data from BTC.com showed. “It’s expensive to move rigs, but it’s not impossible.”China’s state-run Global Times reported that multiple bitcoin miners in China’s Sichuan Province were closed on Sunday as authorities intensified their crackdown. “The decline in hash is probably a short-term phenomenon and evidence of China miners coming offline,” he said in an e-mail.

Ten more autopsies on people who died after receiving COVID-19 vaccinations have been performed, bringing the total completed to 26, Chuang said. Based on the autopsy results, none of the deaths appeared to have been caused by the vaccines, he added. As of yesterday, 178 people — 87 women and 91 men — have died after receiving a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, CECC data showed. As of Wednesday, 1,746,130 COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered in the nation, including 1,714,268 first doses and 31,862 second doses, the CECC said. The nation’s COVID-19 vaccine coverage was 7.43 percent, said Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center.

Animal protection groups seek to block Tainan zoo from importing giraffesBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterRepresentatives from a coalition of animal protection groups yesterday urged the government to reject a Tainan zoo’s plans to import giraffes and other wild animals from Eswatini. Two giraffes, Pi Pi, left, and Ni Ni, are pictured in an enclosure at Wanpi World Safari Zoo in Tainan’s Syuejia District in an undated photograph. Pi Pi died suddenly, leaving Ni Ni as the only giraffe at the zoo. Chiang said that the zoo treats wild animals like “dolls” that can be replaced, adding that instead of importing more animals, it should focus on improving the welfare of the animals it already has. Giraffes have always been a mainstay at the Wanpi World Safari Zoo, Taiwan Animal Equality Association (TAEA) researcher Sera Lim (林婷憶) said.

COVID-19: Groups visit AIT offices to thank for vaccine donation‘A FRIEND INDEED’: AIT officials in Taipei could not accept a bouquet in person due to virus restrictions, but the Kaohsiung office gave advocates a warm welcomeBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterAdvocates and academics yesterday visited the American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) offices in Taipei and Kaohsiung to express their gratitude for the US’ donation of COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan. Taiwan Republic Office director Chilly Chen (陳峻涵) led associates to the AIT compound in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖) to leave a bouquet of flowers in appreciation for the 2.5 million Moderna vaccine doses donated by the US. Taiwan Republic Office director Chilly Chen holds a bouquet of flowers outside the American Institute in Taiwan building in Taipei yesterday. That contrasted with the warm reception the AIT’s Kaohsiung office gave advocates and academics that presented it with 12 pots of orchids yesterday. National University of Kaohsiung president Chen Yueh-tuan (陳月端) led a delegation — including Southern Taiwan Society executives, Presbyterian Church of Taiwan officials, medical organizations and pro-Taiwan groups — that was received by Kaohsiung office director Mason Yu (禹道瑞), media reports said.

Pregnant women to be prioritizedBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday said that pregnant women would be added to the sixth priority group for COVID-19 vaccinations, and they would be eligible along with the seventh and eighth priority groups in the next round of vaccine distribution. “Pregnant women and people aged 65 and older are certain to be included in the next round of vaccinations,” Chen said yesterday. Chen said pregnant women would be included in the sixth priority group with people aged 75 and older, and that they would be allowed to choose which vaccine they wish to receive. There are about 180,000 pregnant women, about 86,000 people in the seventh priority group of essential workers for maintaining national security and normal societal functions, and about 1.98 million people in the eighth priority group. An estimated 5.7 million people are in the top eight priority groups, the list showed.

John Oliver: Taiwan worth deep diveA petition was launched last week to request the British-American comedian, who was once banned in China for roasting Xi Jinping, to do an episode on TaiwanBy Han Cheung / Staff reporterBritish-American John Oliver roasted Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) in 2018 and slammed China’s treatment of Uighurs in Xinjiang last year. A screen grab of the petition launched last week for British-American comedian John Oliver to do a segment on Taiwan. Screen grab: Han Cheung, Taipei Times“For a lot of us who write about Taiwan, I feel that our audience is just people who care about Taiwan,” Cody says. He also tends to do in-depth things and I think Taiwan really needs an in-depth look. So I was up late and I thought, ‘Why don’t I pull a stunt and see if I can get something to happen?’”British-American comedian John Oliver doing a deep dive on Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Majority of firms hopeful about property investmentBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterMost Taiwanese companies remain positive about the property market and plan to raise their stakes in it in the coming 12 months, a survey released yesterday by Colliers International Taiwan (高力國際) showed. “Eighty-five percent of respondents held positive views, although most put off investment amid the virus outbreak,” the local branch of the Canadian company said. Sixty-six percent said they intended to increase their stake in the market and 80 percent believed property prices would remain stable, it added. Most Taiwanese companies remain positive about the property market and plan to raise their stakes in it in the coming 12 months, a survey released yesterday by Colliers International Taiwan showed. The COVID-19 pandemic is reshaping people’s lifestyles and giving birth to a stay-at-home economy highlighted by online shopping and remote working, Colliers Taiwan said.

EDITORIAL: Mental health crucial during outbreakAs a local COVID-19 outbreak continues, it is encouraging to see more government agencies and civic organizations paying attention to mental health. The latest to reach out is the Hsinchu County Department of Health, whose counseling services had been discontinued due to the outbreak. Many people still think it is shameful to be mentally unwell and that only people with serious problems seek counseling or take medication for mental health issues. Amid an unfortunate situation, it is a welcome development that more people are talking about mental health. Hopefully, the government will also do what is needed in ensuring that people with mental health issues have easy access to resources and therapy.

Breaking under the outbreakWith school suspended and businesses shuttered, many single-parent families are especially hard hit by the level three alert restrictionsBy Han Cheung / Staff reporterWith no way to make money during the outbreak and a developmentally delayed third-grader to raise alone, the only thing Mr Lin (林) can do is pray for vaccines. With the latest outbreak shuttering massage parlors across the nation, he is now out of a job. A social worker provides supplies to families seriously affected by the recent outbreak. About 38 percent of the families were earning less than NT$20,000 per month, and 46 percent held temporary or service industry jobs that were the first to be hit by the outbreak. Foot massage shops in Taipei are shuttered due to the recent outbreak.