The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday announced two imported cases of COVID-19 in arrivals from the Philippines and the US.
Each provided a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result before boarding a flight to Taiwan and neither showed COVID-19 symptoms, the center said.
Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is the CECC’s spokesperson, said that one of the cases is a Filipino in his 30s who arrived for work on Dec. 14.
Photo: Tsai Yun-jung, Taipei Times
The man stayed at a centralized quarantine facility after arrival and tested positive in a mandatory test before his quarantine ended on Sunday, Chuang said.
The other case is an Indian man in his 30s who lived in the US and was recruited to work in Taiwan, Chuang said, adding that he traveled to Taiwan with three family members on Dec. 13.
The family stayed at a quarantine hotel and the man underwent a paid test at a hospital on Monday that was arranged by his company, Chuang said.
The test result returned positive yesterday, he said, adding that 15 close contacts have been identified, including four people who were ordered into home isolation.
A total of 795 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Taiwan, with 127 people currently hospitalized, he said.
Meanwhile, case No. 790, reported on Monday — a Briton in his 20s who tested positive for COVID-19 on Aug. 29, but tested negative four times between Dec. 9 and Monday last week — underwent total antibody testing, which returned positive.
“He [No. 790] tested negative for Immunoglobulin M [IgM] and positive for IgG,” Chuang said.
Coupled with a cycle threshold value of 34 from a PCR test, the positive result on Monday is probably a result of his infection in August, rather than a new infection, Chuang said.
Detection of IgM indicates a more recent infection, while IgG is an indicator of previous infections, as they remain in the blood for longer, he said.
Regarding another case reported on Monday — No. 792, a Taiwanese teenager who reported a fever during a flight from the UK — Chuang said that the teen’s temperature was normal in two measurements before boarding.
The teenager told authorities that he did not take antipyretics before boarding, so symptoms from an infection contracted in the UK might have developed during the flight, Chuang said.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The first of 10 new high-capacity trains purchased from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem arrived at the Port of Taipei yesterday to meet the demands of an expanding metro network, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. The train completed a three-day, 1,200km voyage from the Port of Masan in South Korea, the company said. Costing NT$590 million (US$18.79 million) each, the new six-carriage trains feature a redesigned interior based on "human-centric" transportation concepts, TRTC said. The design utilizes continuous longitudinal seating to widen the aisles and optimize passenger flow, while also upgrading passenger information displays and driving control systems for a more comfortable
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
RSS