Number of COVID-19 cases in the nation is surging, with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) describing the ongoing wave of infections as “rapid and intense,” and projecting that the outbreak would continue through the end of July.
A total of 19,097 outpatient and emergency visits related to COVID-19 were reported from May 11 to Saturday last week, an 88.2 percent increase from the previous week’s 10,149 visits, CDC data showed.
The nearly 90 percent surge in case numbers also marks the sixth consecutive weekly increase, although the total remains below the 23,778 recorded during the same period last year, the CDC added.
Photo: Taipei Times
CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) on Friday said that total hospital visits had already exceeded 19,000 and estimated the number could double by the end of the week.
“The wave of infections is clearly on the rise and is truly both rapid and intense,” Lo said, projecting that it would peak in mid to late next month, with weekly outpatient and emergency visits possibly reaching or surpassing 100,000 and continuing through the end of July.
Lo attributed the recent surge in cases to a shift among Omicron-related variants. While the dominant variant in Taiwan six weeks ago was XEC, it has since been overtaken by NB.1.8.1 of the XDV lineage over the past five weeks, he said.
NB.1.8.1 has strong immune evasion capabilities — meaning it can more easily escape the body’s defenses — and higher transmissibility than other variants, Lo said, adding that the variant is also showing a growing presence in neighboring countries.
Another factor behind the increase is that about a year has passed since the last major COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan, and immunity from natural infection has likely waned among those previously infected, making them susceptible again, he said.
Heightened public awareness of COVID-19 over the past few weeks has led more people to take rapid tests, which might also be a contributing factor to the rise in reported cases, he said.
The variants driving the current outbreak in Taiwan are not causing more severe symptoms, but are significantly “more contagious” than previous variants, Center for Infection Control at China Medical University Hospital vice superintendent Hwang Kao-pin (黃高彬) said.
It is due to mutations in the virus’ genetic material, which have increased its affinity for human cells, Hwang said.
The most common symptoms are cough, runny nose, fever and body aches, with some patients also experiencing abdominal pain and nausea, said Huang Li-min (黃立民), an attending physician in pediatric infectious diseases at National Taiwan University Hospital.
The new variants are more likely to cause severe throat inflammation, with symptoms such as sore or dry throat more frequently reported, Huang said.
Lo said that the XDV lineage, to which the NB.1.8.1 variant belongs, is a recombinant variant closely related to the JN.1 variant.
While variants under the XDV lineage have stronger immune evasion capabilities, the COVID-19 vaccines based on JN.1 — currently offered to the public by the CDC — still provide effective protection, he said.
Antiviral medications also remain effective against variants in the XDV lineage, he added.
The CDC is offering publicly funded JN.1-based COVID-19 vaccines to people aged 6 months or older. Those in high-risk groups — such as people aged 65 or older — who received one dose at least six months ago are also eligible for a second jab.
As of Friday, 3.144 million COVID-19 vaccine doses remained in stock, the CDC said, adding that the government would adjust distribution in response to rising vaccination demand.
Public willingness to get vaccinated has increased significantly, with 19,189 COVID-19 vaccine doses administered from Monday to Wednesday, roughly three times the 6,413 doses given during the same period last week, it added.
As for rapid test kits, the Food and Drug Administration has asked manufacturers to ramp up production and coordinated with the four major convenience store chains and pharmacies across Taiwan to make them available in stores, it said.
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