The criteria for releasing COVID-19 cases from isolation have been eased slightly, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced yesterday.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said that specialists attended a meeting yesterday morning to discuss the criteria for releasing people with mild or no COVID-19 symptoms.
To preserve healthcare capacity and as more has been learned about the virus, those at the meeting suggested that the criteria be modified, he said.
Photo: CNA
As of Saturday, of the 1,530 local cases reported this year, 1,527, or 99.8 percent, were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms, Chen said.
Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), deputy head of the CECC’s medical response division, said that people who tested positive for COVID-19 with a cycle threshold (Ct) value lower than 30 in their first polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test would no longer need to isolate for 10 days after the onset of symptoms or after the day they first tested positive.
People who test positive with a Ct value of 30 or more in their first PCR test would no longer be required to wait until they test positive for antibodies to the nucleocapsid protein of SARS-CoV-2, he said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
They can be released from isolation if they test negative or have Ct values above 30 in two consecutive PCR tests, Lo said.
Based on studies in other countries and clinical observations of local cases, about 20 percent of COVID-19 cases did not develop antibodies to the nucleocapsid protein of SARS-CoV-2, so the specialists agreed to remove the criterion, he said.
However, some overseas arrivals, who test positive due to a previous infection and meet the release criteria in a short period, might have contracted another COVID-19 variant just before or during their trip, so those released from isolation within seven days of their arrival would still be subject to home isolation until the 10th day after their arrival, Lo said, adding that they would have to undergo a PCR test before being released.
All COVID-19 cases would also be required to practice seven days of self-health management after release from isolation, and undergo two rapid tests during those seven days, he said.
Chen said that the main goal is for people to go about their daily lives as normally as possible, but continue disease prevention measures.
That means the government would not impose restrictions on necessary daily activities, he said.
The center encourages people to get vaccinated and respond to possible infections by getting tested and informing their close contacts if they test positive, he said, adding that the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 can still cause severe illness and death, and unvaccinated older people are more at risk.
Taiwan yesterday reported 183 local and 97 imported COVID-19 cases.
The local cases include residents of 12 cities and counties, Chen said, adding that among the local cases, 117 are linked to previous infection clusters, while 66 have no cluster link.
Forty-five cases are linked to a cluster in Keelung associated with police officers, restaurants with escort services and schools, he said, adding that the cluster has so far expanded to 205 cases.
A signaling system malfunction disrupted high-speed rail (HSR) services beginning at 8am today, with trains temporarily reduced to three northbound and three southbound trains per hour as authorities conduct inspections. The malfunction occurred on a section of track in Miaoli County during pre-operation checks early this morning, forcing northbound and southbound trains to use a single track, the HSR operator said. The regular schedule has been replaced with three hourly trains offering only nonreserved seating in each direction, stopping at every station, it said, adding that business class cars would still have reserved seating. Departures from terminal stations are scheduled at the top
DRONE CENTRAL: Taiwan aims to become Asia’s democratic hub for drones, with most exports focused on high-quality military-grade models, an official said Taiwan’s drone industry is expected to expand significantly by 2030, producing 100,000 units per month and exporting half of them, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Current drone production capacity is about 15,000 units per month, but the industry can quickly scale up as demand increases, Industrial Development Administration Director-General Chiou Chyou-huey (邱求慧) told a news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s drone output grew 2.5-fold last year to NT$12.9 billion (US$408.3 million) under a government program to develop the uncrewed vehicle sector, he said. The Executive Yuan in October last year approved plans to invest NT$44.2 billion into domestic production of uncrewed aerial
VERBOSE VESSELS: A CGA cutter and a China Coast Guard exchanged verbal barbs for more than a day in Taiwanese-controlled waters before the Chinese vessel left The Taiwanese and Chinese coast guards had a standoff near the strategically located Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the north of the South China Sea, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The two sides engaged in intense radio exchanges over sovereignty claims during the 33-hour standoff. China Coast Guard vessel 3501 eventually left the restricted waters, 26.6 nautical miles (49.2km) west of the Pratas Islands, at 5pm yesterday, the CGA said. Lying approximately between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Taiwan-controlled Pratas are seen by some security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance — more than
WARNING: China should stop engaging in actions that undermine regional peace and stability, as it would only build resentment among people across the Strait, the CGA said China has deployed more than 100 navy, coast guard and other vessels in waters from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and the western Pacific since US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met in Beijing, National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said yesterday. “In this part of the world, #China is the one & only PROBLEM wrecking the #StatusQuo & threatening regional peace & stability,” Wu wrote on X. In a separate post, he said Beijing was coercing Taiwan’s maritime domain, calling it illegal and provocative, after the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) expelled a
RSS