The Central Epidemic Command Center yesterday reported no new cases of COVID-19 — the second time this week — and confirmed that Taiwanese and WHO experts had exchanged information about the pandemic via telephone a day earlier.
The center last reported zero new cases on Tuesday — the first time since March 9 that no new cases had been reported.
As of the center’s daily news briefing in Taipei yesterday, 155 confirmed patients had been released from isolation, up from 137 on Wednesday, the center said.
Photo: CNA
That was out of a total of 395 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Taiwan — 340 imported and 55 domestic — out of which six have died, said Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center.
The sources of 10 local infections remain unknown, he said.
Eight have completed a 14-day observation period, while two — the nation’s 336th and 379th cases — remain under investigation, Chen said, but added that the observation period for the 336th case, which was reported on April 2, was to end yesterday.
Photo: CNA
There have been no new domestic infections reported for four consecutive days, he said.
The center last reported a local infection on Sunday — one of three new cases that day.
The center on Tuesday created a legal affairs division, headed by Deputy Minister of Justice Chen Ming-tang (陳明堂), to provide faster and more meticulous legal assistance, Chen said.
Photo: CNA
Advisory specialist panel convener Chang Shan-chwen (張上淳) confirmed that a telephone conversation had taken place on Wednesday between the center and WHO officials.
At a media briefing on Wednesday, WHO principal legal officer Steve Solomon said that he and WHO COVID-19 technical lead Maria van Kerkhove had spoken with Taiwanese health authorities in February and earlier that day.
In the conference call, which lasted about an hour, WHO officials briefed the center on the global COVID-19 situation, while the center shared the measures that it has taken and the situation in Taiwan, Chang said.
The WHO officials were curious about the situation in Taiwan and wanted to know how the nation is managing to contain the coronavirus so well, he said.
Taiwanese experts expressed the hope that the nation could participate in more WHO events and told the officials that Taiwan is “very willing” to share with other nations its experience containing COVID-19, he added.
Meanwhile, asked about the results of a TVBS poll showing that he would defeat Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) in a Taipei mayoral election, Chen Shih-chung said that he has no plans to run for public office.
The poll, conducted via telephone from Monday to Wednesday, found that Chen would receive 53 percent of support and Chiang would receive 36 percent in a hypothetical head-to-head election tomorrow.
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