As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said.
The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week.
CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant SARS-CoV-2 variant in Japan, he said.
The average positive test rate for COVID-19 was 10.7 percent globally in the first week of this month, and is still growing, he said, adding that the dominant variants worldwide are KP.3, JN.1 and KP.2.
CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said many people in Taiwan are visiting Japan this summer and the centers encourage them to receive an XBB.1.5-adapted COVID-19 vaccine before their trip.
Regarding local cases in Taiwan, Guo said 733 hospitalized cases were reported between from Tuesday last week to Monday, which was about 13.7 percent fewer than the previous week, but the number of weekly deaths had increased to 124 last week.
The weekly COVID-19 death number is the highest in 11 months.
“The death numbers usually peak about two to four weeks after the peak of mild cases, as it is a lagging indicator,” Lo said.
This is why mild cases and hospitalizations are falling, but the number of deaths is increasing.
CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said that among the deaths last week was a young man in his 20s with no underlying health condition, and he received his last dose of vaccine in 2022, which was not a XBB.1.5-adapted vaccine.
The man began experiencing a fever and muscle soreness last month, and two days later had convulsions, fell unconscious and had low blood pressure, so he was rushed to a hospital, where he tested positive for COVID-19, Lin said.
The tests showed that he had pneumonia and encephalitis, so the man was intubated for respiratory failure and given anti-viral medication while in an intensive care unit, he said.
The man died of worsened complications three weeks later, he added.
Meanwhile, Gou said four new cases of mpox were reported last week.
Four men in their 30s and 40s, who had symptoms including rashes, blisters and pustules, were found to have mpox, he said.
A total of 13 cases have been reported this month, CDC data showed, the highest monthly number since October last year and more than 80 percent were unvaccinated.
Lo said the centers expect mpox cases to continue increasing during the summer, as there are more large and crowded gatherings.
People who are at high risk and eligible for vaccination should get fully vaccinated with two doses to protect themselves and their loved ones, Lo added.
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