Sixteen new domestic cases of COVID-19 were reported yesterday, including six under the age of 10.
Eleven of the local cases were in Taoyuan and five in New Taipei City, said Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is the Central Epidemic Command Center’s (CECC) spokesman.
Of the 11 Taoyuan cases, 10 are linked to a previous case — case No. 20,485, a preschooler — as the center expanded testing to 287 people associated with the preschool, Chuang said.
Photo courtesy of the Central Epidemic Command Center
The 10 cases include three family clusters: one with six cases and the other two clusters with two apiece, he said, adding that six of the cases are children aged 10 or younger.
The cycle threshold (Ct) values of their polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests fell between 21.2 and 26.2, he added.
The 11th case in Taoyuan is a male teacher in his 30s at the same elementary school as case No. 20,553, Chuang said, adding that the man tested positive with a Ct value of 18.3, after having a sore throat on Thursday last week and seeking treatment on Saturday.
One of the New Taipei City cases is an employee of a hotpot restaurant who is a colleague of case No. 20,456, Chuang said, adding that the man had a sore throat on Monday and Thursday last week.
The man’s parents and sister have also tested positive, with their Ct values falling between 14.4 and 18.1, Chuang said.
Another New Taipei City case is linked to a cluster involving members of a religious gathering in Taipei on Feb. 13, he said, adding that the man tested positive upon ending quarantine, with a Ct value of 17.5.
Taiwan yesterday also reported 44 imported cases, Chuang added.
In related news, a batch of 1.2 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine was expected to arrive in Taiwan yesterday evening, the center said, adding that the batch’s expiration date is Aug. 5.
The government on July 22 last year signed a contract with Moderna for 35 million doses by the end of next year, with 20 million to be delivered this year, the center said.
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