Hospital visits for COVID-19 last week increased by 113 percent to 41,402, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, as it encouraged people to wear a mask in three public settings to prevent infection.
CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said weekly hospital visits for COVID-19 have been increasing for seven consecutive weeks, and 102 severe COVID-19 cases and 19 deaths were confirmed last week, both the highest weekly numbers this year.
CDC physician Lee Tsung-han (李宗翰) said the youngest person hospitalized due to the disease this year was reported last week, a one-month-old baby, who does not have congenital disorders, but is too young to get vaccinated.
Photo: CNA
The boy developed cold-like symptoms including a cough, runny nose and a fever, and when taken to hospital for treatment he was found to have shortness of breath and pneumonia, and tested positive for COVID-19, he said.
During hospitalization, the boy developed respiratory acidosis due to increased carbon dioxide levels in his blood, Lee said, adding that his condition is stable, but he is still being treated in an intensive care unit.
He said one of the boy’s family members recently had respiratory symptoms, but did not test positive for COVID-19 and they are not up to date on their COVID-19 vaccination.
Photo: CNA
“Local COVID-19 activity is coming menacingly, and the increase in cases has exceeded our previous prediction,” CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said.
As the CDC previously predicted that the peak weekly case numbers would be lower than that of the previous wave of infections last summer (about 132,000 cases per week during the peak period), Lo said it has revised that prediction.
The CDC estimates there could be 150,000 to 200,000 cases per week during the peak of the latest wave, and the peak period might fall between late next month and early July, he said, adding that the prediction could be revised based on case numbers reported after the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday at the weekend.
As people are expected to be traveling and visiting family during the holiday, the CDC encourages people to wear a mask in three public settings — when visiting hospitals, clinics or long-term care centers, when taking public transportation and when in crowded indoor venues, particularly if they are aged 65 or older, or have underlying health conditions, Lo said.
The CDC also urged people who have a fever or respiratory symptoms to wear a mask when they go out until five days after their symptoms end, and try to stay at home and rest, he said.
Parents should remind their children to wash their hands with soap during the holiday, and children’s indoor play venues should be disinfected regularly to prevent enterovirus infection, he added.
Lee said there were 4,911 hospital visits for enterovirus infection last week, and weekly cases have also been increasing for seven consecutive weeks.
Although the weekly number has not reached the epidemic threshold, enterovirus activity typically peaks this month and next month, Lo said, adding that the CDC estimated the epidemic period might begin in the second half of next month.
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