The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported one imported case of COVID-19, a French man who came to Taiwan to work, while a Taiwanese tested positive for the virus after arriving in Xiamen, China.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), head of the center, said that the latest case — the nation’s 514th — is a French technician in his 50s.
The man provided a negative COVID-19 certificate from a real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test taken within three days before he boarded a flight to Taiwan. He arrived on Sept. 11, showed no symptoms and stayed at a quarantine hotel for 14 days, Chen said.
The man began practicing self-health management from Saturday and his company arranged for him to get a RT-PCR test on Monday, which was yesterday confirmed to be positive, Chen said.
He also tested positive for immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies.
The local health department has identified four people who had come into contact with the man, including a hotel worker who is now in home isolation, Chen said.
The other three were wearing masks at the time and are now practicing self-health management, he said.
The center also received a report from Chinese authorities that a Taiwanese man tested positive in Xiamen, the minister said.
The man, who is in his 50s, had returned to Taiwan in January, went back to work in Xiamen in June, returned with his wife to Taiwan on Aug. 19, and together left for Xiamen on Monday last week, Chen said.
He tested negative for IgM and IgG antibodies on Tuesday last week, but his total serum antibody test came out positive, as was the case the last time he was tested in Xiamen on June 14, Chen said.
The man took a RT-PCR test on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday last week, and only the test on Saturday came out positive, Chen said, adding that he is still awaiting the results of the tests taken on Monday and Tuesday this week.
The man showed no symptoms during the 14-day home quarantine period after he returned to Taiwan on Aug. 19, and did not report suspected symptoms or undergo tests for COVID-19 during his stay in Taiwan, he said.
A total of 33 people who had come into contact with the man have been identified, including four who were exposed to him when he sought medical treatment in Taiwan, and three hotel workers, who are practicing self-health management, Chen said.
As one of the four people he had contact with when seeking medical treatment has developed a headache, the person is to be tested for COVID-19, Chen said.
The 17 passengers who were seated close to him on the flight from Taiwan to Xiamen have not yet returned to Taiwan, Chen said.
Nine crew members are to practice self-health management, while the center would continue contact tracing, he said.
CECC advisory specialist panel convener Chang Shan-chwen (張上淳) said he suspects that there are different brands of antibody rapid test kits being used in China, so some test kits might not be able to differentiate between IgM and IgG antibodies, and can only test for total serum antibody.
However, if the antibody test has a lower specificity, it might result in more false-positives, such as people who had contracted other coronaviruses, he said.
Chen also announced that Australia has been added to the list of medium-risk countries, as the number of locally acquired cases in Victoria state has continued to decline from a peak in the first half of August.
That means short-term business travelers can apply for shortened quarantine periods upon arrival in Taiwan, he said.
With a government requirement that medical-grade masks sold through the official mask rationing system must be imprinted with the words “Made in Taiwan” and “MD” (medical device) taking effect on Thursday last week, Chen addressed concerns over the different types of imprints and how to check for certified masks.
There are three types of legal imprints: MD printed on the bottom right and Made in Taiwan on the bottom left; both MD and Made in Taiwan printed on the bottom left; and MD printed at the bottom center and Made in Taiwan on the bottom left, he said.
The CECC said the imprints should be within 1.5cm of the edge of the masks, with a minimum font size of 0.4cm.
In related news, Chen said that as government-funded flu vaccinations are to begin on Monday next week and the center expects more people to get vaccinated this year, it advised people to call healthcare facilities for an appointment to avoid crowds.
The nine groups of people eligible for the free vaccines are the same as last year, and there are three brands of quadrivalent vaccines available this year, manufactured by Sanofi Taiwan, Adimmune Corp and TTY Biopharm Co, he said.
Only the vaccines from Sanofi Taiwan are suitable for children older than six months, while the vaccines from the other two brands are suitable for children aged three or older, Chen said.
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