The daily number of domestic COVID-19 infections are almost certain to reach 1,000 by the end of April, Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung (???) predicted Tuesday as Taiwan reported a single-day high for 2022 of 551 new domestic cases.
Speaking on a radio show before Tuesday’s case numbers were released, Chen said that based on the current trend, the number of new domestic cases reported each day is almost certain to reach 1,000 by the end of April.
Currently, Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung, and Taoyuan are considered high risk, as these cities are reporting more domestic cases with unknown sources of infection, Chen said.
He urged people to follow disease prevention measures, adding, “it is unnecessary to panic, but it is necessary for everyone to take action.”
Tuesday’s COVID-19 press briefing. Photo courtesy of the CECC
Later Tuesday, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) reported a total of 663 new COVID-19 cases in Taiwan, including 551 domestically transmitted infections, both single-day highs for 2022 to date.
It was the first time this year that the single-day number of domestic infections exceeded 500 and the 12th consecutive day they exceeded 100.
The domestic cases were spread across 17 of Taiwan’s 22 cities and counties, with New Taipei reporting the highest number at 162, followed by Taipei with 115, Kaohsiung with 61, and Taoyuan with 53.
Keelung recorded 37 cases, Hualien County 31, Taichung 26, Hsinchu County 16, Pingtung County 14, Tainan nine, Yilan County and Hsinchu City eight each, Chiayi County four, Miaoli County three, Yunlin County two, and one each in Changhua and Nantou counties.
Of the 4,415 domestic COVID-19 cases recorded nationwide from Jan. 1 to April 11, 13 were classified as moderate infections and two as severe, while the rest, accounting for 99.66 percent of the total, were either mild or asymptomatic, according to the CECC.
The figures do not include imported cases reclassified as domestic ones, nor retroactively removed cases. As of April 12, Taiwan recorded 4,928 domestic cases in 2022, while the total number of imported cases rose to 9,077 from 2,375 on Dec. 31.
Meanwhile, 112 new imported cases were reported on Tuesday, with 30 of them involving travelers who tested positive on arrival in Taiwan, the CECC said.
To date, Taiwan has confirmed 28,666 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in early 2020, including 19,535 domestically transmitted infections, according to CECC data.
With no deaths reported Tuesday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 fatalities in the country remained at 854, the data showed.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel