Taiwan on Sunday reported 17,729 new COVID-19 infections and 24 deaths from the disease, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
The new cases represented a 17.4-percent increase from the same day a week earlier, CECC data showed.
On a week-by-week basis, the 118,804 cases recorded from Dec. 18 to 24 were up by 10.86 percent from the number reported from Dec. 11 to 17, the data showed.
Meanwhile, the 215 COVID-19 deaths from Dec. 18 to 24 were a 0.94-percent increase over the total recorded in the previous seven-day period, according to the CECC.
The deceased reported on Sunday ranged in age from their 40s to their 90s. All but two had underlying health conditions, while 11 of them were unvaccinated against COVID-19, the CECC said.
Of the 14,220 deaths from locally transmitted COVID-19 infections Taiwan this year, 91 percent were people with chronic illnesses or other conditions, 91 percent were aged 60 or above, and 66 percent had not received three shots of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to CECC data as of Dec. 24.
Regional breakdown
Regionally, New Taipei recorded the highest number of new cases, with 3,510, followed by Taichung with 2,199 and Taipei with 2,045.
Taoyuan reported 1,970 new cases, Kaohsiung 1,856, Tainan 1,384, Changhua 752, Hsinchu City 646, Hsinchu County 603, Pingtung 407, Miaoli 393 and Yunlin 347.
Yilan had 264 cases, Keelung 253, Nantou 244, Chiayi County 244, Chiayi City 162, Hualien 119, Taitung 105, Kinmen 88, Penghu 54 and the Matsu Islands five, the CECC said.
To date, Taiwan has recorded 8,699,400 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in earlier 2020, including 39,443 classified as imported.
With the 24 deaths reported on Sunday, the number of confirmed fatalities in the country rose to 15,099.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel