Taiwan yesterday confirmed two more COVID-19 cases as part of a family cluster infection, bringing the nation’s total to 26.
A woman in her 20s and her aunt, in her 40s, have been confirmed as the nation’s 25th and 26th COVID-19 patients respectively, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) told a news conference at the Central Epidemic Command Center.
The 25th patient started coughing on Jan. 28 and developed a fever on Jan. 31 before seeking medical treatment on Feb. 4 and Tuesday last week, while her aunt, who showed no signs of respiratory trouble or a fever, visited a doctor on Feb. 3 and Feb. 6 for gastroesophageal reflux, said Chen, who heads the center.
Photo: AFP
An initial investigation found that the two women were likely infected by a woman in her 60s — the 24th patient, confirmed on Wednesday, as they are related.
The woman in her 60s lives in northern Taiwan and is the grandmother and mother of the other two women, the center said.
The oldest woman lives with her daughter, while her granddaughter visited her on Tuesday last week after she was hospitalized.
The grandmother developed a cough and fever on Jan. 22, and visited a clinic four times over the following week, the center said, adding that she was hospitalized on Jan. 29 for pneumonia and transferred to an intensive care ward on Monday last week.
As none of the three women have traveled abroad in the past two years, the origin of their infection remains unknown, the center said.
In response to comments yesterday by Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) that the 24th patient’s residence should be publicized to prevent further panic, Chen said that disclosing that information “would not do much good,” as she was hospitalized one day after her emergency room visit on Jan. 29 and her activities prior to that were not considered within the incubation period of the virus.
Separately yesterday, while answering questions at the Legislative Yuan, Chen said that the travel advisories for Japan and South Korea would most likely be elevated from level 1 to level 2, but no flight restrictions have been planned.
Under the government’s three-tier travel advisory system, a level 1 “watch” urges travelers to take normal precautions and respect disease-prevention measures put in place at their destination.
A level 2 “alert” urges travelers to be more vigilant and a level 3 “warning” cautions against nonessential travel.
The government yesterday dispatched a charter flight operated by China Airlines (中華航空) to repatriate Taiwanese from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which has been quarantined in Japan’s Yokohama Harbor from Feb. 4 due to an outbreak of COVID-19.
A total of 28 Taiwanese — 24 passengers and crew, three passengers with dual citizenship and one commissioned doctor — were on the cruise liner, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Ho Chi-kung (何啟功) said.
Apart from a Taiwanese-US dual national who decided to fly to Hong Kong and those hospitalized in Japan after testing positive for COVID-19, a total of 20 people boarded the charter flight, which arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport last night, he said.
Repatriation procedures were to be more rigorous than an earlier evacuation of Taiwanese from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak, Ho said, adding that on the about 150-seat flight from Japan, those with symptoms of the virus over the past 14 days would be separated from those who have been symptom-free.
A test for the virus would be conducted after landing, followed by another test two days later, he said, adding that people who test negative in both would be sent to a quarantine center, where they would spend another 14 days.
People who test positive in either test would be hospitalized immediately, he added.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
CHINA POLICY: At the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China, the two sides issued strong support for Taiwan and condemned China’s actions in the South China Sea The US and EU issued a joint statement on Wednesday supporting Taiwan’s international participation, notably omitting the “one China” policy in a departure from previous similar statements, following high-level talks on China and the Indo-Pacific region. The statement also urged China to show restraint in the Taiwan Strait. US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and European External Action Service Secretary-General Stefano Sannino cochaired the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China and the sixth US-EU Indo-Pacific Consultations from Monday to Tuesday. Since the Indo-Pacific consultations were launched in 2021, references to the “one China” policy have appeared in every statement apart from the
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from