TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — More than 1,500 retired medical workers have answered Taipei’s call and registered to fight on the frontline against COVID-19.

Surgeon-turned-Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) on Wednesday (May 19) called on retired physicians and nurses to help combat the pandemic as hospitals around the capital come under strain due to the rapid rise in local cases. A total of 1,542 personnel have joined the cause as of 3:30 p.m. on Friday.

The recruitment drive will see medical workers trained before they are dispatched to help care for and monitor the health of residents who test positive for the novel virus. They will be paid NT$5,000 (US$179) for every eight hours worked, reported TVBS.

According to the city’s protocols, asymptomatic patients and those with minor symptoms will be tended to in centralized quarantine centers or dedicated COVID hotels. To ensure the best use of resources, only those in severe conditions will be transferred to hospitals.

Currently, the ratio of medical staff to patients is 1:15-20 at Taipei’s COVID hotels and 1:30 at quarantine centers, CNA quoted Huang Tsun-cheng (黃遵誠), deputy superintendent of Taipei City Hospital, as saying.

Taipei and New Taipei have been hotspots in Taiwan's worst-ever outbreak, the first to see large-scale community spread. For six days in a row, the country has recorded over 100 cases, the majority occurring in Greater Taipei.

Taiwan has reported total 3,139 COVID cases as of May 21 compared to 1,199 on May 10.