A Belgian man who tested positive for COVID-19 in Taiwan last week is likely to have contracted the disease in Taipei in late June, National Taiwan University (NTU) College of Public Health vice dean Tony Chen (陳秀熙) said yesterday.
The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Saturday reported that the man, who is in his 20s, came to Taiwan for work on May 3 and tested positive on Wednesday last week as he was about to depart.
The man in March reported loss of taste and smell, the center said, adding that he worked in Changhua County, but visited Taipei several times, and traveled to Yilan County and Taichung this month.
Photo: Wu Po-hsuan, Taipei Times
Although the center has not listed the case as imported or locally acquired, health experts have said that the man might have contracted the disease in Taiwan.
There are four possible scenarios for how the man was infected: He contracted it in Belgium, he had close contact with an infected traveler on his way to Taiwan, he was exposed to an infected person in a local community, or he contracted the disease twice — in Belgium and in Taiwan, Chen said.
Among the four scenarios, contracting the disease in Belgium or being infected twice are the least likely, he said.
The viral load should have significantly reduced after so many weeks if he was infected in Belgium, while genome sequencing of the virus would need to be conducted to determine if he contracted it twice, Chen said.
Based on the cycle threshold value of a real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test that the man had, he might have been exposed to COVID-19 from June 20 to 26, which includes time that he was in Taipei, Chen said.
“It is impossible that Taiwan has no domestic cases,” he said. “We are only testing people who have symptoms, so we might miss a few asymptomatic cases.”
Tests conducted among people onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, a long-term care facility and in some US states show that the incidence rate of asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic cases could be as high as 60 percent, he said.
People who are asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic might be infectious, although less so than people with symptoms, he said.
While most people in Taiwan who might have had COVID-19, but were asymptomatic, should have recovered by now, three cases — the Belgian, a Japanese student and a Thai migrant worker, who tested positive for the coronavirus before or upon returning to their native country — show that local infections are possible, Chen said.
The three cases might have had low viral loads, so people would have had to have an extended time of close contact with them for the disease to be transmitted, he said, adding that so far contacts of the cases have all tested negative for the disease.
Risk stratification and precise testing should be conducted, especially among six groups at higher risk of infection from an asymptomatic cases, he said.
The groups are: people in healthcare facilities, people in long-term care centers, cruise ship passengers, migrant workers, people at workplaces or other places that they share with foreign nationals, and people in other situations where they have close contact with others for extended periods, he said.
People should keep social distancing, wearing a mask and washing their hands frequently, he said.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS