Taiwan recorded its first local cases of the Omicron subvariant BA.5 of SARS-CoV-2, two family members of imported cases who arrived from the US, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), deputy head of the CECC’s medical response division, said that the index case — reported on Monday — tested positive with the COVID-19 subvariant after arriving from the US.
The woman returned to Taiwan with her two children, both aged under 10, on June 19, and they underwent a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test upon arrival, Lo said, adding that two family members — a brother and the mother of the woman — drove a private vehicle to pick them up and travel to Taichung.
Photo: Grab from Unspalsh
The arriving woman had a fever, coughing and ear pain when she landed, and the PCR test at the airport came back positive the next day, while her two children tested positive on June 23 after they developed a fever, Lo said.
The woman’s brother developed a fever, coughing and a sore throat on June 24 and tested positive for COVID-19, while his mother tested positive on Thursday last week, despite not reporting any symptoms, Lo said.
Genome sequencing of samples from the arriving woman showed that she was infected with BA.5, he said.
The two family members are the first local cases of BA.5 in Taiwan, he said.
The Taichung City Health Bureau’s contact tracing efforts showed that the cases did not leave their home much while they were contagious and the only close contact tested negative, so the cluster does not seem to have spread further to the local community, he said.
The two local cases most likely contracted the disease when they picked up the three imported cases at the airport, Lo said, adding that they told health authorities they all wore masks throughout the ride to their quarantine hotel in Taichung, but as the vehicle’s windows were closed, the virus could still be transmitted given the small, enclosed space.
About 25 percent of inbound travelers are picked up by friends or family, so people should get at least two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, and preferably a booster, and take preventive measures such as using disease prevention taxis, he said.
People should wear masks and gloves; disinfect the hands, the bottom of the shoes and luggage of arriving people before they get in a vehicle; avoid eating or drinking in the vehicle; and maintain good ventilation by keeping the windows open slightly, he said.
Everyone in the vehicle should wear a mask throughout the ride, and avoid talking and touching others, while the driver should disinfect the vehicle after the trip, especially the door handles, seats and belt buckles, Lo said.
SOLIDARITY: A group of European lawmakers condemned China’s aggressive moves, while the foreign minister of Lithuania said Taiwan ‘cannot become a second Ukraine’ A German parliamentary delegation would visit Taiwan in the first week of October, German lawmaker Holger Becker on Monday told visiting Democratic Progressive Party legislators Fan Yun (范雲) and Lin I-chin (林宜瑾) at the Bundestag in Berlin. Asked by Fan whether he is worried about possible reprisals from Beijing, such as banning him and his family from entering China, Becker said he is more interested in visiting Taiwan, as “now is the time for democracies to stand together.” Fan and Lin also met with German officials to exchange views on digital education and governance. Investing in digital infrastructure and protecting equal rights to
As China waged extensive military exercises off Taiwan, a group of US defense experts in Washington was focused on their own simulation of an eventual — but for now entirely hypothetical — US-China war over the nation. The unofficial what-if game is being conducted on the fifth floor of an office building not far from the White House, and it posits a US military response to a Chinese invasion in 2026. Even though the participants bring a US perspective, they are finding that a US-Taiwan victory, if there is one, could come at a huge cost. “The results are showing that under
WRONG TIMING: The delegation’s trip has not only disappointed Taiwanese, but could send a wrong message to the global community, Tsai Ing-wen said Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman Andrew Hsia (夏立言) yesterday left with a delegation for a trip to China, drawing fire for visiting at a time when Beijing has been conducting intensive military drills to pressure Taiwan. Before boarding, he told reporters that the delegation would be visiting Taiwanese communities and students in China, and possibly meet with Chinese officials. The Mainland Affairs Council on Tuesday night said that it was not the right time for political party members to visit China, as Beijing has been conducting military exercises since Thursday last week. President Tsai Ing- wen (蔡英文), chairperson of the Democratic
‘MILITARY PLAYBOOK’: It would have taken far longer for the PLA to put together the drills had they actually been in response to Nancy Pelosi’s visit, Joseph Wu said China is using military drills to prepare for an invasion of Taiwan, and its anger over US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit is just an excuse, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said yesterday. Speaking in English at a news conference in Taipei, Wu accused China of “gross violations of international law.” “China has used the drills in its military playbook to prepare for the invasion of Taiwan,” he said. “It is conducting large-scale military exercises and missile launches, as well as cyberattacks, disinformation and economic coercion, in an attempt to weaken public morale in Taiwan.” He said the Chinese
RSS