People diagnosed with COVID-19 and placed under mandatory isolation before that mandate is lifted on Monday must still complete five days of quarantine, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday, as it reported 9,980 new local cases.
Starting from Monday, doctors are no longer required to report mild COVID-19 cases and the infected people would not be required to isolate, but instead are advised to practice self-health management until they test negative, or for 10 days from the onset of symptoms or when they first tested positive.
The new policy does not affect those who are diagnosed prior to Monday, said Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), who is also the CECC’s spokesman.
Additionally, as some people might test positive for COVID-19 with a rapid test during the weekend, but not seek a diagnosis until Monday or Tuesday next week, the CECC would require that those cases be reported and undergo mandatory home isolation, he said.
In addition to 9,980 new local cases, the CECC reported 208 imported cases and 42 deaths, adding that the local caseload is 8.2 percent lower than on Wednesday last week.
Although mild cases no longer need to be reported starting next week, people with higher risk factors for developing severe cases of COVID-19 should seek medical attention as soon as possible after testing positive with a rapid test to receive anti-viral drugs, Lo said.
If a person with COVID-19 shows signs of developing severe illness, they should also seek medical attention immediately, he said.
Signs of severe illness include shortness of breath; difficulty breathing; continuous tightness or pain in the chest; losing consciousness; developing cyanosis (skin, lips or nails turn blue); feeling unable to eat, drink or take medication; reduced urine output in the previous 24 hours; or systolic blood pressure of less than 90 millimeters of mercury, he said.
Parents are also advised to look for warning signals of severe illness in children, including convulsions, sleepiness, loss of consciousness, loss of vitality, difficulty breathing, sunken breastbone, pale or purple lips, oxygen saturation levels of 94 percent or lower, cold limbs with mottled skin and cold sweats, Lo said, adding that parents who observe these symptoms should seek immediate medical attention.
Additional reporting by CNA
The brilliant blue waters, thick foliage and bucolic atmosphere on this seemingly idyllic archipelago deep in the Pacific Ocean belie the key role it now plays in a titanic geopolitical struggle. Palau is again on the front line as China, and the US and its allies prepare their forces in an intensifying contest for control over the Asia-Pacific region. The democratic nation of just 17,000 people hosts US-controlled airstrips and soon-to-be-completed radar installations that the US military describes as “critical” to monitoring vast swathes of water and airspace. It is also a key piece of the second island chain, a string of
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck about 33km off the coast of Hualien City was the "main shock" in a series of quakes in the area, with aftershocks expected over the next three days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Prior to the magnitude 5.9 quake shaking most of Taiwan at 6:53pm yesterday, six other earthquakes stronger than a magnitude of 4, starting with a magnitude 5.5 quake at 6:09pm, occurred in the area. CWA Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富) confirmed that the quakes were all part of the same series and that the magnitude 5.5 temblor was
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
The Central Weather Administration has issued a heat alert for southeastern Taiwan, warning of temperatures as high as 36°C today, while alerting some coastal areas of strong winds later in the day. Kaohsiung’s Neimen District (內門) and Pingtung County’s Neipu Township (內埔) are under an orange heat alert, which warns of temperatures as high as 36°C for three consecutive days, the CWA said, citing southwest winds. The heat would also extend to Tainan’s Nansi (楠西) and Yujing (玉井) districts, as well as Pingtung’s Gaoshu (高樹), Yanpu (鹽埔) and Majia (瑪家) townships, it said, forecasting highs of up to 36°C in those areas