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.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS