Based on preliminary genome sequencing results, a cluster of infections reported on Sunday at a preschool in New Taipei City is likely to be a different variant of SARS-CoV-2 from the dominant Alpha strain circulating in the nation, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday, as it reported eight local cases, four imported cases and zero deaths.
Among the eight new local cases, seven were in New Taipei City, including five people linked to the preschool cluster, and one in Taipei, said Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center.
The first case in the cluster was a teacher at the preschool, who began experiencing symptoms on Aug. 27, but only got tested and was confirmed positive on Sunday morning after her husband was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Saturday.
Photo: CNA
The cluster has since expanded to 15 people, with nine cases — eight students and a parent — reported on Monday, and five more cases — a student, three parents and a one-year-old sibling of a student — reported yesterday, Chen said.
He said that 411 people associated with the cluster who are at risk of infection have been identified, including 362 people who have been placed under home isolation, and 49 people who are practicing self-health management.
Although the complete genome sequencing results on the virus samples from the cluster are not expected to come back until today, the preliminary results yesterday showed that they are not infected by the Alpha variant, but more likely Delta or other variants of SARS-CoV-2, Chen said.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), deputy head of the CECC’s medical response division, said that among the infected preschoolers, six have mild symptoms, including a fever, runny nose, cough and sore throat.
Each child has been placed in separate COVID-19 hospital rooms, accompanied by a parent, and is being treated by a team of pediatricians and infectious-disease specialists, Lo said.
Asked if the CECC would consider raising the COVID-19 alert to level 3 again, Chen said that there is no such plan at present, but the center would consider it if the COVID-19 situation in New Taipei City worsens.
The most important task now is to conduct contact tracing and bring the situation under control, he added.
The CECC also reported four imported COVID-19 cases: two Taiwanese, one Japanese and one Malaysian.
The two Taiwanese nationals returned from India and Lesotho on Aug. 13 and on Sunday respectively, and tested positive for COVID-19 before the end of their mandatory 14-day quarantine, the center said.
The two foreign nationals arrived in Taiwan from Japan and Lesotho on Aug. 24 and Aug. 25 respectively, it said.
The 12 new cases brought the total number of COVID-19 cases in Taiwan to 16,047, of which 14,386 were domestic infections reported since May 15, when the country first recorded more than 100 cases in a single day.
Additional reporting by CNA
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