The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported 175 domestic cases of COVID-19 infection and 19 deaths.
Of the local cases, 100 are male and 75 are female, with an onset of symptoms between June 3 and Wednesday, the center said.
New Taipei City had the most local infections, with 87 cases, followed by Taipei with 34 cases, Miaoli County with 31, Hsinchu County with 10, Taoyuan with seven, and two each in Hualien County, Keelung and Taichung, it said.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
Of the 54 domestic cases reported outside Taipei and New Taipei City, 53 cases had known sources of infection, while one had an unclear connection with other cases, it added.
The 11 men and eight women who died were aged 40 to 99, the center said, adding that they had experienced an onset of symptoms between May 8 and Saturday last week, were confirmed to have COVID-19 between May 15 and Monday, and died between Tuesday last week and Tuesday.
Only three of them did not have a chronic health condition, CECC data showed.
Since COVID-19 first appeared in Taiwan, 22.7 percent of the deaths resulting from the virus have been people aged 75 or older, Deputy Minister of the Interior Chen Tsung-yen (陳宗彥), who is deputy head of the center, told a daily briefing in Taipei.
Asked whether the nationwide level 3 alert would be extended beyond June 28, Chen said that the center would continue to observe the virus situation and take measures as needed.
Of the 12,042 confirmed COVID-19 cases recorded from May 11 to Tuesday, 6,731 people, or 55.9 percent, had been released from isolation, the center said.
As of yesterday, Taiwan had reported 13,584 confirmed cases: 1,161 imported cases, 12,370 domestic cases and 497 deaths, CECC data showed.
From April 20 to Tuesday, 562 students were confirmed to have COVID-19, with another 12 cases confirmed on Wednesday, Ministry of Education data showed.
On Wednesday, 140,050 people were vaccinated against COVID-19 — 134,428 got the AstraZeneca shot and 5,622 the Moderna shot, the center said.
From March 22, when the first shots were given, until Wednesday, 1,178,104 people had been vaccinated — 1,133,515 with the AstraZeneca shot and 44,589 with the Moderna shot, it said.
A second batch of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine — 240,000 doses — is expected to arrive in Taiwan today, after the first batch of 150,000 doses arrived on May 28, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) reported.
The batches are part of 5.05 million Moderna doses that Taiwan has ordered.
During a regular news briefing on Wednesday, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), when asked whether other Moderna shipments would arrive soon, did not give a date, but said: “Of course, preparations have been made.”
Additional reporting by Lin Hui-chin
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