The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported two new imported cases of COVID-19, increasing the number of confirmed cases in the nation to 445.
They are a married couple who worked in Bangladesh and returned home via Malaysia on Saturday, and were the first new imported cases since June 1, it said.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), the CECC spokesman, said that the man is in his 50s and the woman is in her 40s, and they went to Bangladesh in late January and early March respectively.
Photo: CNA
The man on May 23 developed a fever, coughing, a sore throat, muscle pain and an abnormal sense of smell, while the woman developed a fever two days later, Chuang said.
They were diagnosed with COVID-19 and hospitalized in Bangladesh on May 25 and May 28 respectively, he said.
The man’s symptoms had alleviated by May 26 and he tested negative twice for the novel coronavirus on May 28 and June 2, he added.
The woman tested negative only once, on June 2, but the hospital said it had too many patients and allowed her to leave, Chuang said.
They were discharged from the hospital on June 2 and remained at home in Bangladesh until Friday, when they left for Taiwan, he said.
They wore masks and protective clothing during their flights, and did not come into close contact with friends or family after they returned, he said.
“They did not show any symptoms upon their arrival in Taiwan, but they told airport quarantine officers that they had been hospitalized for COVID-19 in Bangladesh, so they were tested at the airport and taken to a centralized quarantine facility for isolation,” he said.
The couple tested positive for the novel coronavirus and were hospitalized yesterday, he said.
The 11 crew members on the flight to Taiwan also wore masks and protective clothing, so they were asked to perform self-health management, while 26 passengers who sat in the same row and the two rows in the front and back of the couple have been placed under home quarantine, Chuang said.
As of yesterday, the nation had maintained a zero rate of local transmission for 64 days, the CECC said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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