The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported two new serious adverse events following COVID-19 vaccination.
Eligibility for COVID-19 vaccination was on Monday expanded to cover the second and third priority groups, including local government heads, public health officials, customs and immigration officials, quarantine facility workers and crew members of international flights.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is the CECC’s spokesman, said 1,181 people received a vaccine shot on Monday, bringing the total number of vaccinated people to 25,882 in Taiwan.
Photo: CNA
Fifteen adverse events following vaccination were reported on Monday, including two suspected serious adverse events, he said, adding that they are both in their 20s and their symptoms were relieved after treatment.
Chuang said one of them experienced a fever, dizziness, a headache, muscle soreness, vomiting and diarrhea, while the other experienced a headache, fatigue, pain at the injection site, enlarged axillary lymph nodes and sleepiness.
Asked about the quarantine measures for athletes who are to participate in the WBSC Olympic baseball qualifiers in Taichung in June, Chuang said the center would, in principle, allow the athletes to be quarantined for seven days and take part in limited training sessions under controlled conditions.
The CECC is also discussing whether athletes who had been vaccinated against COVID-19 should be considered for relaxed quarantine rules, he added.
Separately, the CECC reported four imported cases of COVID-19.
One of them is a Taiwanese who is in his 40s and had been working in Bangladesh since the middle of February, Chuang said.
He returned to Taiwan on April 1 and quarantined at a hotel, but he developed nasal congestion, a runny nose and coughing on Friday, so he underwent a test on Saturday and the result came back positive, he said.
The second case is a Taiwanese in his 50s who permanently lives in the Philippines and last departed Taiwan in October last year, Chuang said.
On Sunday, he returned for emergency medical treatment for other health problems, and was immediately hospitalized and tested upon arrival, Chuang said.
Two tests taken at two hospitals both came back positive, he said.
The third case is a Taiwanese who is in his 30s and had been working in Ethiopia since October last year.
He tested positive for COVID-19 on March 26 after he developed a cough, headache, aches and pain, and loss of taste and smell from March 12 to 14, Chuang said.
He tested negative on April 1 and on Wednesday last week, but he had reported having developed a cough upon arrival in Taiwan on Friday, so he was tested again for COVID-19 at the airport, with the result negative, he said.
He was tested again at a centralized quarantine facility on Monday and the result came back positive, Chuang said.
The fourth case is a Taiwanese in his 20s who traveled to Ireland in September last year for study and returned to Taiwan on Thursday, Chuang said.
He experienced a runny nose for a short period when he arrived at the airport, but he returned home for quarantine, he said.
He developed a fever on Monday and underwent testing at a hospital, he added.
The result came back positive, Chuang said.
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