The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported three new imported cases of COVID-19, arrivals from Nigeria, Egypt and the US, bringing the total number of cases in Taiwan to 825.
A Taiwanese businessman in his 70s began to experience fever, shortness of breath and fatigue on Dec. 24 last year while based in Nigeria, the center said in a news release.
Three days later, when he sought local treatment after his symptoms worsened, he was diagnosed with pneumonia, the center said.
Photo: CNA
After the diagnosis, he tested negative for COVID-19 twice, but was immediately hospitalized and quarantined upon returning to Taiwan on a medical charter flight on Tuesday, it said.
Yesterday, he was confirmed to have COVID-19, but contact tracing is not needed, because all medical personnel have worn personal protective equipment around him, it added.
An Egyptian girl, younger than 10, entered Taiwan on Tuesday with three family members, the center said, adding that the girl regularly travels between Taiwan and Egypt because one of her family members works locally.
The girl had not provided a negative test result before boarding her flight because she is too young to be tested in Egypt, the center said, adding that she took a self-paid test upon her arrival at the airport.
Yesterday, the result returned positive, even though she has shown no symptoms, it said.
Although her family members provided negative test results issued within 72 hours of boarding their flight, they experienced symptoms after entering Taiwan, the center said, adding that their tests from the past two days are being processed.
The family members and six other people known to have had contact with the girl have been placed in quarantine, it said.
A Taiwanese woman in her 20s, who attends university in the US, was still overseas on Saturday last week when she tested negative for COVID-19 after developing a cough, a sore throat and a runny nose, the center said.
On Wednesday, she returned to Taiwan and was retested after informing airport personnel of her symptoms, it said.
Yesterday, the result returned positive and 11 people known to have had contact with her are now in quarantine, the center said.
Of Taiwan’s 825 cases of COVID-19, 730 are classified as having been imported. A total of 714 have recovered, seven have died and 104 remain hospitalized, CECC data show.
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