Taiwan’s COVID-19 case numbers are rising again, with more than 30,000 new cases reported on two consecutive days in the past week. On Friday, the number of cases Taiwan has reported since the pandemic began exceeded 9 million, or about 40 percent of the population.
The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) projected that the ongoing “third wave” of infections with the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 would peak between the Lunar New Year holiday later this month and early next month, but said that the wave’s highest number of daily cases — about 40,000 — would be lower than in the previous two waves.
The CECC’s most recent weekly genomic sequencing report showed that the dominant Omicron subvariant BA.5 is gradually declining, while two emerging subvariants are gaining ground. BA.5 accounted for 62 percent of local cases last week, while BA.2.75 and BQ.1 accounted for 19 percent and 14 percent respectively, CECC data showed. The center said that BQ.1, a sublineage of BA.5, might become dominant in Taiwan.
While more than 40 percent of recently reported COVID-19 cases worldwide involve BQ.1, two other subvariants — BA.5.2 and BF.7 — account for most new cases in China, where the number of daily cases is presumed to be increasing significantly, raising concern that new variants might emerge. Another Omicron subvariant — XBB.1.5, a recombination of two BA.2 strains — is rapidly spreading in the US, where its share has risen from 4 percent early last month to 28 percent and accounts for most new cases in the northeast, official data released on Friday showed. WHO technical lead on COVID-19 response Maria Van Kerkhove on Wednesday said that XBB.1.5 is the most transmissible Omicron subvariant detected so far, adding that it remains unknown whether it causes more severe symptoms.
The WHO in November 2021 declared Omicron a variant of concern, after it previously gave Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta the same designation. Scientists worldwide have over the past year been looking out for variants that might cause global infection waves similar to Alpha, Delta and Omicron. Their focus has increasingly shifted to new Omicron subvariants that have been driving regional waves. Even though none of them has been given a separate designation by the WHO, several have been flagged as highly transmissible and more immune-evasive, increasing the risk of reinfection.
Taiwan has eased most COVID-19 curbs, and many people are unsure whether they need to worry about the increase in daily cases and emerging subvariants. The WHO, the CECC and many public health experts around the world have said there is no indication that any of the new subvariants causes more severe symptoms or increases the likelihood of death from the disease. However, some experts said that if the emergence of new subvariants leads to more overall cases, the number of severe cases would also rise, even though they were unlikely to overwhelm healthcare systems. Most experts say that COVID-19 vaccines, especially Omicron-adapted bivalent ones, provide effective protection from severe illness leading to hospitalization or death. It is important that people, especially the elderly and immunocompromised, stay up to date with their vaccinations. Experts also say that wearing a mask while indoors, washing hands and testing — especially for people who have symptoms or are planning to visit vulnerable friends or relatives — remain important.
Bivalent booster take-up remains low in Taiwan, at 13 percent as of Friday. The government should communicate the risks of COVID-19 more effectively and encourage people to get vaccinated with the most up-to-date booster as soon as they are eligible.
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