The recent surge in the COVID-19 cases in Taiwan has been followed by large daily numbers of infections, and medical institutions are busy treating emergency and severe cases of the disease. Meanwhile, the sudden huge workload on public health units makes their service capacity limited, leading to a delay of issuing confirmed case documents and isolation notices. As a result, some people do not know how long they will be in isolation, and others do not have the necessary documents to ask for pandemic leave from their places of work.
     The NHI App, launched by the NHIA, provides 4 important COVID-19 prevention information. Users only need to open up the NHI App and go to My Health Bank, then COVID-19 Vaccines/Testing results, where they can check their vaccination records, results of rapid tests, results of PCR tests, and SARS-CoV-2 spike antibody test results.
In addition, people who are PCR-positive may use the App to report their close contacts, such as family members, friends, and roommates, through the COVID-19 Confirmed Case Reporting System. Meanwhile, for people in home isolation, self-health management, or home quarantine, once they test positive using a rapid test and confirm the result with a doctor over video consultation, they may use the NHI App to report. This function will be open for public use according to the schedule of the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
     To make it easier for employees to ask for leave, the Ministry of Labor announced on May 8 that a COVID-19 confirmed employee can present a screenshot of their PCR positive result from the NHI App as the documentary proof required to request leave. 
     The NHIA urges the public to download the NHI App and complete identity verification as soon as possible.