A wave of COVID-19 infections might have reached its peak last week, earlier and less severe than previously predicted, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.
CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said 70,182 hospital visits were reported last week, from June 1 to Saturday, higher than the previous week, but with a lower growth rate.
The number of visits in most age groups increased 4.5 to 12.5 percent, but visits by those aged 10 to 19 declined 7.7 percent, Lee said.
Photo: CNA
After weeks of rising hospital visits, the wave of COVID-19 appears to have reached its peak, CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said.
Cases did not grow significantly after the Dragon Boat Festival as previously predicted, he said, thanking the media and agencies for reminding the public to take precautionary measures, such as wearing masks when using public transportation and in crowded venues.
The CDC had predicted up to 200,000 cases per week during the peak period and a total of 1.7 million cases from late last month to Aug. 9.
The CDC revised that estimate, stating that the epidemic period might end in the week from June 27 to Aug. 2, with about 420,000 accumulated cases from May 25 to Aug. 2, Lo said.
People with COVID-19 who have developed early signs of severe complications should still seek medical attention as soon as possible, he added.
A total of 166 severe COVID-19 cases and 25 deaths were reported between Monday last week and Monday, and more than 85 percent of them had not received the JN.1-adapted COVID-19 vaccine, Lee said.
The youngest of the deceased was a man in his 30s, who did not have chronic illnesses and had never been vaccinated against COVID-19, CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said.
The man developed a sore throat and muscles and tested positive for COVID-19 late last month, he said.
Doctors initially suspected he had myocarditis (inflammation of the heart), and although he was admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU), he returned home due to personal reasons, Lin said.
Three days later, the man was rushed to an emergency room, where he was found to be experiencing an altered state of consciousness and was suspected of having encephalitis, he said.
Despite treatment in an ICU, he died of severe COVID-19 complications, septic shock and multiple organ failure, he added.
Meanwhile, two cases of enterovirus with severe complications were reported last week in two newborns, both infected with the echovirus 11 serotype, and that six severe cases have been reported this year, the highest of the same period in six years, Lee said.
Both of the newborns were infected within one week after birth, and they are still being treated in ICUs, Lin said, adding that newborns infected with echovirus 11 are at greater risk of developing severe complications, including sepsis and multiple organ failure.
Signs of severe illness in newborns can include fever, lethargy, poor feeding and neurological symptoms, he said.
This year’s enterovirus activity is abnormal, as it typically enters the epidemic period around June, but weekly cases have remained below the epidemic threshold, Lo said.
Four severe cases in newborns younger than one month have been reported this year, all infected with echovirus 11, he said.
As enteroviruses can be transmitted vertically (from a mother to her child during pregnancy and birth), pregnant women and newborns should especially avoid exposure to people with diarrhea and respiratory symptoms, Lo said.
Family members should also wash their hands thoroughly and preferably change into clean clothes before playing with newborns, he added.
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