People conducting self-health management after quarantine or home isolation are required to take their two mandatory COVID-19 tests earlier to better detect the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said on Thursday.
Starting from yesterday, people are required to take a COVID-19 rapid antigen self-test on the second and fourth day of their seven-day self-health management period, the center said.
Previously, people were required to take the first rapid home test on the third day of their self-health management period, and the second test on either the sixth or seventh day.
Photo courtesy of the Central Epidemic Command Center
The tests are now required earlier to account for Omicron’s incubation period of three to five days, which is much shorter than those of other SARS-CoV-2 variants, it said.
On Monday last week, the mandatory quarantine period for arrivals and close contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Taiwan was shortened from 14 days to 10 days.
In addition, nonresident business travelers were again allowed to enter Taiwan, after obtaining an entry permit, in line with CECC directives issued last month.
All nonresident foreigners, with few exceptions, were previously barred from entering Taiwan since May last year, as part of COVID-19 prevention measures.
Since the entry restrictions were eased, the number of foreign business arrivals has increased from a weekly average of 770 to 1,882 over the past week, the CECC said.
Given the eased restrictions and the prevalence of Omicron in other countries, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommended that people who come into close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case take a rapid test as soon as possible.
An early rapid test result can help reduce the chances of transmission, CDC physician Chen Wan-ching (陳婉青) said, adding that any known contact of a COVID-19 case must immediately be reported to health authorities.
He also advised people who test positive to record the date of the test and the onset of any COVID-19 symptoms.
The CECC yesterday reported one new domestic COVID-19 case and 74 imported cases.
The domestic case is a man in his 30s, whose source of infection remains unknown, said CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is the CECC’s spokesman.
The man, a salesman in Chiayi City, developed symptoms on Monday and tested positive in a self-test, Chuang said.
The CECC on Thursday confirmed that he had COVID-19 and tested 21 contacts.
Sixteen of them have tested negative, while results for the other five were pending, the CECC said.
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