The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported two new local cases of the Omicron BA.5 subvariant of SARS-CoV-2 in northern Taiwan, and a new imported case of the BA.2.75 subvariant.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Director-General Chou Jih-haw (周志浩), head of the CECC’s disease surveillance division, said 16,352 new local COVID-19 cases and 232 imported cases were reported, as well as 36 deaths.
The local caseload was the lowest it has been in 93 days — since April 30, he said.
Photo courtesy of the Central Epidemic Command Center
Daily case numbers are dropping more slowly than before, but the local outbreak has reached a stable level, Chou said.
CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), deputy chief of the CECC’s medical response division, said that 36 new moderate-to-severe cases were confirmed — the lowest number since May 3.
However, two new BA.5 cases were found in northern Taiwan, a man and a woman, who are both in their 30s and have not visited another country in the past six months, Lo said.
He said the man, who had received vaccines and a booster, tested positive with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test on July 24 after experiencing a fever, and genome sequencing later found that he had the BA.5 subvariant.
One of the man’s family members tested negative, while another tested positive, he said, adding that genome sequencing is being conducted to identify the virus strain.
The other BA.5 case, a woman who had received two vaccine doses, tested positive with a PCR test on July 24, after experiencing a fever the day before, Lo said.
While her six family members tested negative for COVID-19, one of her three close contacts at work tested positive, and the virus sample is being sequenced to identify the virus strain, he said.
Lo gave an update on a case involving a shipyard worker in southern Taiwan who has the BA.5 subvariant.
Genome sequencing on one of his coworkers failed due to their low viral load, while another coworker had the BA.2 subvariant, he said, adding that the limited evidence cannot prove a workplace cluster.
Lo said the two new cases indicate that the BA.5 strain might be spreading in local communities to a small extent.
However, the four locally acquired BA.5 cases — the shipyard worker, the two new cases and a previous case in northern Taiwan — have slightly different viral gene sequences and have no connection to each other, indicating that the “immunity firewall” in local communities is somewhat effective, he said.
Lo also reported a new case of BA.2.75, a man in his 40s who arrived from Thailand on July 20.
The four companions who traveled with him are being tested, he added.
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