The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported seven locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, three of whom were linked to a family cluster in Taipei and New Taipei City.
One of the family members, a man in his 40s who lives in New Taipei City, developed a sore throat and fever on Wednesday, and tested positive for COVID-19 in a self-administered rapid test, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), the CECC’s spokesman, told a news conference.
The man immediately sought another test at a hospital, with the result coming back positive yesterday with a cycle threshold value of 14.4, which indicates a high viral load, Chuang said.
Photo courtesy of the CECC
The source of the man’s infection remains unknown, he said, adding that two of the man’s relatives, who live in Taipei, also tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday.
They are among 107 people identified as contacts, of whom 94 have so far tested negative for the disease, Chuang said.
The four other local cases are two women and two men in Tainan whose infections are linked to a tour group cluster that began with a Kaohsiung buffet restaurant employee, who tested positive for the disease last month, the CECC said.
Several of the employee’s family members, including her parents, have tested positive, and the cluster has since spread to a hospital in Tainan, prompting it to suspend outpatient services until tomorrow, after two employees at the hospital tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday.
They are a pharmacist and a pharmacy assistant, and genome sequencing showed that both cases are linked to the tour group cluster, which now totals 24 cases, said CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), who is deputy head of the CECC’s medical response division.
The CECC also reported 75 imported cases, including 45 travelers who tested positive upon arrival. The CECC did not release any information regarding the vaccination status of the imported cases.
To date, Taiwan has confirmed 21,163 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in early 2020, including 15,482 domestically transmitted infections.
With no deaths reported yesterday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 fatalities in the country remains at 853.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS