Ten new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed yesterday, bringing the nation’s total to 373, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said, including a four-year-old boy who caught the virus from his grandparents.
There were nine imported cases and one domestic, said Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center.
The four-year-old, who lives with his grandparents, developed a fever on March 25 and was tested after his grandmother was confirmed to have COVID-19 on Friday, becoming case No. 343, Chen said.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
The grandfather tested positive on Sunday, becoming case No. 356, although he had not experienced any symptoms after returning from the US on March 17, CECC data showed.
A contact investigation has so far identified 175 people who had direct contact with the family, and the public preschool that the boy attends has been suspended for two weeks, Chen said.
Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said the boy developed a fever while at school on March 25 and his teachers placed him in a separate room while he waited for his mother to collect him, but he returned to class two days later and again last week before the long holiday weekend.
The boy’s parents have tested negative, and 38 people from the preschool — 29 students in the boy’s class, six teachers and three staff — have been put under home isolation, while another 83 people have been told to practice self-health management, Chuang said.
Chen said the nine imported cases were four women and five men who returned from the US, the UK, Iceland and Indonesia between March 21 and Saturday.
Case No. 364 is a woman who works in the US, who reported experiencing symptoms to airport quarantine officers upon arrival on Monday last week, but tested negative, he said.
The woman continued to feel ill while under mandatory home isolation, and she tested positive yesterday, he said, adding that several other passengers on her flight to Taiwan earlier became confirmed cases, including Nos. 370 and 371, family members who work and study in the US who reported for testing when they experienced symptoms during home isolation.
Chuang said a total of nine passengers on the flight — China Airlines (華航) Flight CI011 from New York to Taipei on March 30 — have been confirmed to have COVID-19 after returning to Taiwan, and all 327 people, including 13 crew members, were put under mandatory home isolation.
Asked about Case No. 364 testing negative in her first test, Chen said sometimes the viral load is too low when swab samples are taken at an airport, so complying with 14-day home quarantine rules is crucial.
Meanwhile, Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) said that Republic of China (ROC) citizens who wish to send masks to first or second-degree relatives, who are also citizens, must apply for an export permit before sending any masks via the post office or express delivery services, but can do so online.
As of Thursday, ROC citizens can send up to 30 masks every two months to first or second-degree relatives in other countries.
A special Web site (emaskep.trade.gov.tw) is to start accepting applications at 9am on Thursday, said Wang, who is also head of the CECC’s resources division.
In other mask-related news, the center said all vendors and service providers who deal with customers would be required to wear masks, but the regulations would be announced at a later date.
Additional reporting by CNA
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