The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported three new cases of COVID-19, including two airline employees.
The two flew on the same plane as a Taiwanese pilot who was confirmed to have COVID-19 on Friday, indicating a cluster of infections in the flight cabin, the CECC said.
The pilot, case No. 760 in the nation, flew to the US on Dec. 12, returned on Wednesday, began showing symptoms during quarantine at the airline’s dormitory and tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, said Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), the CECC’s spokesman.
Photo courtesy of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport
One of the new cases, No. 765, is a New Zealander in his 60s who flew to the US on Nov. 29, returned to Taiwan on Dec. 4 and flew to the US again on the same flight with case No. 760 on Dec. 12, during which he was reportedly coughing, Chuang said.
He returned to Taiwan on Tuesday and had been under home quarantine, but after case No. 760 was confirmed, he was tested the same day, and the result came back positive yesterday, Chuang said.
The man also tested positive for antibodies against COVID-19, he added.
Case No. 766 is a Japanese man in his 20s who flew to the US on Dec. 5, returned to Taiwan on Dec. 7, flew to the US again on the same flight with case Nos. 760 and 765 on Dec. 12, and returned to Taiwan on Tuesday.
On Thursday, he reported that he was coughing and was tested on Friday, Chuang said, adding that he developed diarrhea on Saturday and his test result came back positive yesterday, but an antibody test came back negative.
The three cases are likely a cluster of infections that occurred within the airplane cabin, Chuang said, adding that case No. 765 is most likely to be the source, as he has a higher cycle threshold value (CT value) of 24.9 and has developed antibodies against COVID-19.
The CT values of cases 766 and 760 were 15.2 and 17 respectively, he said.
A higher CT value indicates lower viral load and a lower risk of infectivity.
Case No. 765 first flew to the US on Nov. 29 and returned to Taiwan on Dec. 4, so if he contracted the disease during the period, he would still be infectious during the flight on Dec. 12, Chuang said, adding that his colleagues reported that he had been coughing without a mask during the flight.
The CECC found that case No. 765 left the airline dormitory during his rest days from Dec. 8 to Dec. 11, so contact tracing personnel are examining his iPad to find out where he was during the period.
Asked if the Taiwanese airline is at fault for letting crew members with symptoms work in a plane without wearing a mask, Chuang said case No. 765 said he did not have any symptoms, but was reported to be coughing, so the center would ask the Civil Aeronautics Administration and the airline to investigate and clarify the situation.
The third new case reported yesterday is an Indonesian man in his 40s, who came to Taiwan for work on Dec. 3 and had provided a negative polymerase chain reaction test result from within three days before departing.
He did not show any symptoms in Taiwan, Chuang said.
The shipping service company he works for paid for a COVID-19 test when his quarantine ended on Friday and the result came back positive yesterday, he said.
Eight crew members who work on the same ship have been placed under home isolation, he added.
POLITICAL AGENDA: Beijing’s cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival events are part of a ‘cultural united front’ aimed at promoting unification with Taiwan, academics said Local authorities in China have been inviting Taiwanese to participate in cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations centered around ideals of “family and nation,” a move Taiwanese academics said politicizes the holiday to promote the idea of “one family” across the Taiwan Strait. Sources said that China’s Fujian Provincial Government is organizing about 20 cross-strait-themed events in cities including Quanzhou, Nanping, Sanming and Zhangzhou. In Zhangzhou, a festival scheduled for Wednesday is to showcase Minnan-language songs and budaixi (布袋戲) glove puppetry to highlight cultural similarities between Taiwan and the region. Elsewhere, Jiangsu Province is hosting more than 10 similar celebrations in Taizhou, Changzhou, Suzhou,
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
COGNITIVE WARFARE: Chinese fishing boats transmitting fake identification signals are meant to test Taiwan’s responses to different kinds of perceived incursions, a report said Chinese vessels are transmitting fake signals in Taiwan’s waters as a form of cognitive warfare, testing Taipei’s responses to various types of incursions, a report by the Institute for the Study of War said on Friday. Several Chinese fishing vessels transmitted fake automatic identification system (AIS) signals in Taiwan’s waters last month, with one mimicking a Russian warship and another impersonating a Chinese law enforcement vessel, the report said. Citing data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the report said that throughout August and last month, the Chinese fishing boat Minshiyu 06718 (閩獅漁06718) sailed through the Taiwan Strait while intermittently transmitting its own AIS
CHINESE INFILTRATION: Medical logistics is a lifeline during wartime and the reported CCP links of a major logistics company present a national security threat, an expert said The government would bolster its security check system to prevent China from infiltrating the nation’s medical cold chain, a national security official said yesterday. The official, who wished to stay anonymous, made the remarks after the Chinese-language magazine Mirror Media (鏡周刊) reported that Pharma Logistics (嘉里醫藥物流) is in charge of the medical logistics of about half of the nation’s major hospitals, including National Taiwan University Hospital and Taipei Veterans General Hospital. The company’s parent, Kerry TJ Logistics Co (嘉里大榮物流), is associated with the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the
RSS