Samples of the human H7N9 virus strain, provided by the mainland, arrived in Taipei Saturday and have been sent to a laboratory so their biological features can be studied.

The island's disease control authority said the transfer of the virus strain samples indicates that cross-strait cooperation on infectious disease prevention and control has entered a new stage and it hoped for further deepening cooperation.

The samples will be used to assess the effectiveness of virus testing measures on the island, among other research and development work, Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said in a statement.

As to whether the strain can used for production of a H7N9 vaccine, Chou Jih-haw, deputy director of the island's CDC, said that will be considered later.

Twelve suspected H7N9 cases have been reported during the last 24 hours in Taiwan, of which seven were negative, with the remaining five people still being tested. On the mainland, 98 H7N9 cases had been reported as of Saturday, including 18 that ended in death.

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