The Facts
Taiwan's health minister Chen Shih-Chung announced last week that the government has changed its approach toward the pandemic, pivoting from its "zero-COVID" policy to a mitigation strategy.
Taiwan has decided to look to pursue the mitigation option based on Hong Kong's deadly Omicron surge, as well as damage to China's economy.
The Spin
Narrative A
"Zero-COVID" strategies have delivered the best result, reducing casualties and supporting economic growth. Although COVID's mutations have forced governments to move away from these, the virus wouldn't have evolved in the first place if there had been better international coordination to stop it.
Narrative B
Vaccines and boosters are great, but Omicron is mild and spreading too quickly to be stopped. We should relax, aim for natural herd immunity and vaccinate only the vulnerable. Resistance is futile.
