Eighteen domestic cases of COVID-19 were confirmed yesterday, a new low since a local outbreak began in May, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday.
Of the local transmissions, eight are male and 10 are female, with an onset of symptoms between Thursday last week and Wednesday, the center said.
Twelve of the cases were reported in Taipei and six in New Taipei City, it said.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
Nine cases had known sources of infection and nine were under investigation, it said.
The center announced three deaths — two men and a woman aged 60 to 79 who died on Monday and Tuesday.
They had been confirmed with COVID-19 between May 28 and June 17, the center said.
Photo: Centers for Disease Control / AP
All three cases had chronic health conditions, CECC data showed.
The center reported three imported cases.
One is a Taiwanese man in his 30s who returned from Thailand on June 23 and one is a Taiwanese female in her teens who returned from the US on Tuesday, it said.
The third is an Indonesian fisherman in his 20s who arrived in Taiwan on May 10 and tested negative for COVID-19 on May 23 before completing his quarantine, it said.
He was tested again on Wednesday, as he planned to leave Taiwan, and was confirmed to have the virus yesterday, the CECC said.
He had no symptoms while in Taiwan, the center said, adding that 221 contacts have been listed.
As of yesterday, Taiwan had reported 15,149 confirmed COVID-19 cases — including 1,193 imported and 13,903 domestic cases — with 718 deaths, CECC data showed.
Of the total, 13,889 cases were announced between May 11 and Tuesday, while 11,456 of them, or 82.5 percent, had recovered, the center said.
A second donation of COVID-19 vaccines from Japan consisting of 1.13 million AstraZeneca doses arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in the afternoon.
At a daily news briefing in Taipei ahead of the flight’s arrival, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the CECC, once again thanked the Japanese government and said that the center would immediately begin the inspection process.
As of Wednesday, 2,899,997 COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered — 2,847,653 first doses and 52,344 second doses, CECC data showed.
The nation’s COVID-19 vaccine coverage was about 12.12 percent, the center said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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