The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported 21 local COVID-19 cases, including 10 workers at a technology plant in New Taipei City’s Shulin District (樹林).
The 21 local infections comprise 11 cases in New Taipei City, five in Keelung, four in Kaohsiung and one in Taoyuan, said Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is also the CECC spokesman.
Nine cases in New Taipei City and the one in Taoyuan are linked to a cluster at a technology plant in Shulin District, where 10 workers were on Thursday and Friday found to have COVID-19.
Photo courtesy of the Keelung City Government
The company is continuing to test its 900 employees, Chuang said, adding that contact tracing is ongoing to find the source of infection.
One of the other cases in New Taipei City is a man in his 20s living in Jhonghe District (中和), who had a fever, runny nose and sore throat on Thursday before testing positive, Chuang said.
The man is not a close contact of any previous case, although he lives near a case reported on Friday, he added.
Another new case in New Taipei City is a woman in Sanchong District (三重) who tested positive on Friday in a self-paid test before being hospitalized, he said.
The five cases in Keelung are linked to a cluster of infections reported on Friday involving police officers, Chuang said.
Those cases include one police officer, a friend of a previous case, and three people who ate at a restaurant at about the same time as previous cases, he said.
The four local cases in Kaohsiung are linked to a previous cluster reported on Thursday among workers at a chemical plant, comprising three other workers and one family member.
Two of them tested positive while in isolation, Chuang said, adding that the infection source is yet to be determined.
Taiwan yesterday also reported 82 imported COVID-19 infections, Chuang said.
Meanwhile, a gift worth up to NT$200 is being offered until Thursday to people aged 18 or older when receiving a first or second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, Chuang said.
Taiwan’s first, second and booster dose vaccination rates have reached 83.36 percent, 78.18 percent and 49.1 percent respectively as of Friday, he said.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
Carrefour Taiwan is to begin using a new name from the start of July, but it cannot divulge the name until then, the chairman of the supermarket chain's parent company said today. President Chain Store Co chairman Lo Chih-hsien (羅智先) was asked by reporters after a shareholders' meeting to confirm whether the company has settled on a new name for the supermarket brand. In March, the government-registered name of two Carrefour Taiwan branches was quietly changed to "Le Chia Kang" (樂家康) in Chinese, raising speculation that has been selected as the name. Lo said that because of local regulations and contractual obligations, the
The Philippines would likely be involved in any conflict over Taiwan due to its proximity to the democracy claimed by China, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said, reiterating a stance that risks angering Beijing. “In the Philippines, we do not have a choice because Taiwan is so close to the Philippines and we have almost 200,000 Filipino nationals living and working in Taiwan,” Marcos said in an interview with Japanese media in Manila on Monday. The Philippine leader’s comments come ahead of a state visit to Japan next week, where he is to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to discuss security