Taiwan Wednesday reported seven new patients suffering from A/H1N1 influenza had been sent to hospital, bringing the island's serious cases total to 305, Xinhua quoted local epidemic control authorities as saying. So far, the virus has claimed 18 lives on the island, and 257 people have been discharged from hospital, the authorities said. Yang Zhiliang, head of Taiwan's health authority, said Wednesday the locally produced A/H1N1 flu vaccines were still undergoing trials. An inoculation program of 15 million doses of A/H1N1 flu vaccines was scheduled to be launched in November and the vaccines would be offered to the public free, he said.
