Lessons learned from Taiwan’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic: successes, challenges, and implications for future pandemics

This study aims to provide an investigation of the containment and mitigation strategies encompassing the entirety of the pandemic in Taiwan. This descriptive, observational study used COVID-19 data from Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, and analysed news releases from the Taiwanese health authority. Statistics provided evidence of outbreak severity through infection and mortality rates, while qualitative results from the document review offered insights on the actions taken by the government chronologically from 2 February 2020 to 31 December 2022. All three countries experienced significant infection peaks in 2022. Taiwan had two distinct peaks, one in late May and another in October. South Korea had a single, high peak in late March, while Japan experienced multiple smaller waves, the biggest wave in August. Similarly, weekly mortality rates peaked in 2022 for all three countries after a surge in their infected cases, with Taiwan (5.15/100 000) and South Korea (4.69/100 000) having higher rates than Japan (1.65/100 000). Results from qualitative analysis showed that Taiwan's early containment measures might have delayed the epidemic curve, allowing time for better preparation and proactive responses. However, the lack of a clear transition plan and the vulnerability of the elderly population contributed to higher mortality and infection rates. Despite ongoing challenges, Taiwan avoided nationwide lockdowns and relied on targeted restrictions to control transmission of the virus. Results of this article offer the narratives, reflections, and experiences from the case of Taiwan which may potentially present promising opportunities for impact in other settings and for future pandemics.