A cluster of COVID-19 infections involving a preschool and a housing complex in New Taipei City has grown to 27 cases, after the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported four locally transmitted infections and two imported cases.
Two local cases each were recorded in Taipei and New Taipei City, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, told a daily briefing in Taipei.
The Taipei cases were an employee of a remodeling firm who was working at the New Taipei City housing complex and his wife, Chen said.
Photo: Wong Yu-huang, Taipei Times
The cases are likely linked to the cluster, he said, adding that the center is working on clarifying the sources of infection.
The other two local cases were people living in the same household in New Taipei City, Chen said, adding that a connection with the cluster is unlikely.
Three of the domestic cases were asymptomatic, while the fourth infected person has had symptoms since Sunday, CECC data showed.
The imported cases were two Egyptian men in their 30s or 40s, the data showed.
The men arrived together from Egypt on Aug. 4, along with another previously confirmed case — the father of an infected student linked to the preschool cluster, Chen said.
The two tested negative for COVID-19 upon arrival and during quarantine, the CECC said, adding that the results of tests taken on Tuesday, after they were identified as contacts of the father, also came back negative.
However, they were tested again yesterday, and the results came back positive, the center said, adding that contact tracing is underway.
The COVID-19 situation does not meet the center’s criteria for raising the nation’s pandemic alert from level 2 to level 3, Chen said.
Asked whether the center is considering imposing passenger capacity limits on trains during the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, Chen said that no changes would be made as along as the COVID-19 situation remains unchanged.
The center also reported one death from COVID-19, a man in his 70s who had a chronic health condition and had not had contact with other confirmed cases.
He had repeatedly sought medical attention between Friday last week and Monday for reasons unrelated to COVID-19, and tested negative in a rapid screening test on Saturday, the CECC said.
He was admitted to a hospital on Tuesday, as he reported feeling uncomfortable, but had no symptoms typically related to COVID-19, the center said.
He died later in the day and tested positive postmortem, it said.
As of yesterday, the center had reported 16,062 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 1,447 imported and 14,561 domestic infections, as well as 838 deaths.
Additional reporting by CNA
Japan has deployed long-range missiles in a southwestern region near China, the Japanese defense minister said yesterday, at a time when ties with Beijing are at their lowest in recent years. The missiles were installed in Kumamoto in the southern region of Kyushu, as Japan is attempting to shore up its military capacity as China steps up naval activity in the East China Sea. “Standoff defense capabilities enable us to counter the threat of enemy forces attempting to invade our country ... while ensuring the safety of our personnel,” Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi said. “This is an extremely important initiative for
MORE POPULAR: Taiwan Pass sales increased by 59 percent during the first quarter compared with the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said The Tourism Administration yesterday said that it has streamlined the Taiwan Pass, with two versions available for purchase beginning today. The tourism agency has made the pass available to international tourists since 2024, allowing them to access the high-speed rail, Taiwan Railway Corp services, four MRT systems and four Taiwan Tourist Shuttles. Previously, five types of Taiwan Pass were available, but some tourists have said that the offerings were too complicated. The agency said only two types of Taiwan Pass would be available, starting from a three-day pass with the high-speed rail and a three-day pass with Taiwan Railway Corp. The former costs NT$2,800
POLLS CONCERNS: There are concerns within the KMT that a Cheng Li-wun-Xi Jinping meeting could trigger a voter backlash in elections in November Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) accepted an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to visit next month, her party and Chinese state media reported yesterday. Cheng, who took up her role in November last year, “gladly accepted” the invitation to lead a delegation to China, the KMT said in a statement, confirming a Xinhua news agency report. Cheng “looks forward to joint efforts by both parties to advance the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, promote cross-strait exchanges and cooperation, and work for peace in the Taiwan Strait and greater well-being for people on both sides,” the statement said. Chinese
SIGNIFICANT TO THE WORLD: The delegation’s visit aims to send a clear message that bipartisan support for Taiwan is consistent, US Senator Jeanne Shaheen said The US Senate’s bipartisan support for Taiwan remains strong and Taiwan-US ties would continue for decades to come, a US Senate delegation said in Taipei yesterday, while calling on the legislature to swiftly pass a special defense budget bill. A US delegation led by Democratic US Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Republican US Senator John Curtis — both members of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations — arrived in Taiwan yesterday for a two-day visit. The other senators of the delegation included Senate Taiwan Caucus cochair Thom Tillis and Senate Committee on Armed Services senior member Jacky Rosen. Shaheen told a news
RSS