The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday announced three new cases of COVID-19 — two imported and one domestic — bringing the total in Taiwan to 388.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said that the domestic case (No. 386) is a man in his 20s who lives with the nation’s 195th case — a woman in her 20s who returned from the US on March 19 and tested positive on March 23.
The man had respiratory allergic symptoms when he was put under home isolation after case No. 195 was confirmed to have COVID-19 and he was released from quarantine after 14 days, but the local health department reviewed his symptoms and asked him to undergo testing, Chen said.
Photo: Chang Hsieh-sheng, Taipei Times
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said that the man had had a meal with case No. 195 for about two hours when she returned from the US, which could be the cause of his infection, but as he has chronic allergies, it is difficult to determine when his symptoms began.
The man told authorities that he wore a mask when he went to work and shopping after he was released from quarantine, Chuang said, adding that the local health department would visit his workplace to conduct contact investigations today.
CECC advisory specialist panel convener Chang Shan-chwen (張上淳) said that many people have allergic reactions and respiratory allergy symptoms, such as a runny or stuffy nose — the most common type — so people with chronic allergies do not have to be too worried or ask to be tested for COVID-19.
However, if they have been exposed to an infected person or those later ordered into home isolation or quarantine, they should inform a doctor and let them decide whether testing is needed.
Case No. 387 is a man in his 40s who worked in the US from Feb. 20 to Friday, and reported coughing and a sore throat on March 25, but did not seek treatment, Chen said, adding that he was tested on arrival at an airport.
Case No. 388 is a woman in her 40s who is also the wife of the 358th case — a man in his 40s who visited family in the UK from Jan. 22 to April 2 and tested positive on April 5, Chen said, adding that she visited the UK with her husband and experienced loss of taste and smell during home quarantine.
Among the 388 confirmed cases in the nation, 109 people have been discharged from hospitals, Chen said.
Asked to comment on reports on Friday from South Korean officials that 91 people thought to have recovered from COVID-19 have tested positive again, Chang said that most experts believe that the people had the virus all along and the tests returned false negatives.
There have been cases where they tested negative twice, but were positive on a third test, so maybe some countries only test people once or twice before discharging them, he said.
Taiwan makes sure that infected people test negative three times and have doctors examine them to ensure that they show no symptoms before they can leave the hospital, he said.
Meanwhile, Ho Ching (何晶), wife of Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍), on Saturday posted a link to a news report titled: “Taiwan to donate medical masks to Singapore,” with the comment: “Errrr...”
The comment sparked controversy over the negative impression it appeared to convey.
Mask donation operations had been coordinated by Taiwan’s diplomatic system with each respective country before they were sent, Chen said.
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