TY - JOUR T1 - Ready for a long fight against the COVID-19 outbreak: an innovative model of tiered primary health care in Taiwan JF - BJGP Open JO - BJGP Open DO - 10.3399/bjgpopen20X101068 VL - 4 IS - 2 SP - bjgpopen20X101068 AU - Brian Bih-Jeng Chang AU - Tai-Yuan Chiu Y1 - 2020/06/01 UR - http://bjgpopen.org/content/4/2/bjgpopen20X101068.abstract N2 - Between January 15 and March 31 2020, Taiwan reported 31 800 subjects tested, 322 confirmed COVID-19 cases (including 276 imported and 46 indigenous), and five deaths. Taiwan has been able to control the epidemic more effectively than many other countries in the Asia-Pacific region through a combination of measures, including border control; testing and quarantine of individuals with history of contacts; at-home self-isolation; and real-time linking of immigration records with healthcare information. Society maintains trust in governmental agencies thanks to daily press conferences, with full disclosure of key metrics and clear guidelines.1 An average of 675.76 tests per million individuals were performed. Our containment strategy ensured the numbers of new cases per day remain in single digits, delaying peak time and protecting the medical system from being overwhelmed. While first responses by primary health care is slowing down the outbreak, the Taiwan Medical Association (TMA) has devised a long-term strategy to handle the inevitable scenario of community transmission. Our plan relies on a … ER -