The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported six imported cases of COVID-19 — from Indonesia, the Philippines, the UK and the US — three of whom showed symptoms in Taiwan.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is the CECC’s spokesman, said one of the cases is a British man in his 30s who arrived in Taiwan for work on Wednesday.
Upon arrival, he reported having mild nose congestion that started on Monday, so he was tested for COVID-19 while staying at a centralized quarantine facility and his result came back positive yesterday, Chuang said.
Photo: CNA
Two British colleagues of the man, who traveled to Taiwan with him, have been listed as close contacts and were tested for COVID-19, Chuang said.
Their results came back negative, but they were still placed under home isolation, he added.
Another case is a Taiwanese student in her 20s who has been studying in the US and returned home on Wednesday, he said, adding that she went to a quarantine hotel after arrival, but started experiencing throat symptoms in the evening.
She was tested on Thursday and the result came back positive yesterday, Chuang said, adding that six passengers who sat close to her during the flight to Taiwan have been placed under home isolation.
Another case is an American woman in her 40s who came to Taiwan for work on Dec. 26, he said.
She began experiencing symptoms, including general fatigue, an abnormal sense of smell and diarrhea, on Tuesday during home quarantine.
She was tested on Wednesday and was yesterday confirmed to have been infected with COVID-19, Chuang said.
The three had lower cycle threshold values in their polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, indicating higher viral loads and more recent infections, he said, adding that genome sequencing would be conducted on the specimens collected from the patients to identify the virus variants.
Two other cases are two female Philippine migrant workers, who are both in their 30s, Chuang said.
They arrived in Taiwan on Dec. 18 without symptoms, stayed at centralized quarantine facilities and tested positive in a mandatory test before ending quarantine on Thursday, he said.
Another asymptomatic case is an Indonesian fisher who is in his 20s. He arrived in Taiwan on Dec. 17, stayed at a quarantine hotel and tested positive in a paid test on Friday after completing quarantine, Chuang said.
All six cases had provided a negative PCR test result issued within three days of boarding a flight to Taiwan, he said.
Separately yesterday, Chuang said that two people who were under self-health management orders were caught attending Taiwanese rock band Mayday’s concert on Friday evening, after five other people who were under similar orders were caught at the band’s concert in Taoyuan on Thursday.
The CECC on Tuesday last week announced that people who are under self-health management orders are banned from attending New Year’s Eve celebration events and other major public events, adding that they may be fined for contravening the Communicable Disease Control Act (傳染病防治法).
Chuang said that the mobile phone-based “electronic fence 2.0” system monitors whether people who have been given home isolation, home quarantine or self-health management orders approach major public events.
It is only used on individuals under such orders and is not being used to monitor the general public, he said, adding that local health departments would decide whether to impose fines.
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