The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported three new imported COVID-19 cases, travelers from the Philippines, Indonesia and Croatia, bringing Taiwan’s total confirmed cases to 600.
Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is also the CECC’s spokesperson, said case No. 599 is a Taiwanese woman in her 40s who visited family in the Philippines in early February, returned to Taiwan on Oct. 29 and had not experienced any suspected symptoms.
She received a test for COVID-19 on Wednesday before ending her quarantine. As the result was a weak positive, the laboratory retested the specimen with another kit, and that came back negative, he said.
However, as the laboratory had just introduced another type of testing kit, it conducted a third test on the specimen the next day, and the result came back positive yesterday, Chuang said.
Upon completing quarantine and having tested negative in the first two tests, the woman took a disease prevention bus, which had six passengers sitting apart from each other, he said.
She then went home via high-speed rail, and sat alone with no passengers beside her, Chuang said.
The woman was informed of her positive result while on the train and was taken to hospital in an ambulance and isolated, he said.
Case No. 600 is an Indonesian migrant worker who came to Taiwan on Oct. 7, Chuang said.
She began suffering symptoms including a mild fever, loss of smell, coughing, a runny nose and a sore throat on Monday while in a centralized quarantine facility, he said, adding that she was tested on Friday, and the result came back positive yesterday, he said.
Twenty-nine passengers who sat close to her on the same flight to Taiwan, as well as another person who shared a vehicle with her in Taiwan, have been placed under home isolation, Chuang added.
Case No. 601 is a Croatian in his 40s, who has allergic rhinitis and had experienced COVID-19 symptoms in July, he said.
A previous case had been misreported, so that brings the number of confirmed cases in Taiwan to 600.
He had been diagnosed with the disease in Croatia, but his symptoms disappeared after 14 days of being in quarantine and he tested negative before being released, Chuang said.
The man was hired by a Taiwanese company and arrived on Oct. 29 with no symptoms he said, adding that he provided a negative COVID-19 test result taken within three days of flying to Taiwan.
He experienced nasal congestion on Nov. 1, but thought it was due to his allergic rhinitis and did not report it, Chuang said.
Upon completing quarantine, the man on Friday paid out of pocket for a COVID-19 test, as is required by the Taiwanese company, and the result came back positive yesterday, he said, adding that three colleagues who had a meal with the man have been placed under home isolation.
Meanwhile, Chuang confirmed that four international DJs, who came to Taiwan for a large electronic dance event in Taipei each face a fine of NT$10,000 for breaching the “one person per room” quarantine rule, as they gathered together while in quarantine and did not wear masks.
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