Taiwan reported two new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday — one contracted locally and the other overseas — and zero deaths from the disease, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
The domestically transmitted case was reported in Taipei, involving a Taiwanese in his 30s who developed symptoms of fatigue and loss of appetite on Oct. 19, the CECC said, adding that the man eventually sought medical attention on Nov. 2 after also coming down with a fever.
His COVID-19 tests showed a relatively high cycle threshold (CT) value of 34, which indicates a low viral load and the possibility that he has had the infection for a while.
At Thursday’s daily press briefing, CECC Emergency Response Group Deputy Division Director Lo Yi-chun (???) said the patient likely caught the disease when Taiwan saw an unprecedented outbreak of domestic COVID-19 cases in May.
He previously had received one dose of an AstraZeneca vaccine in August, Lo said, adding that those who had come into contact with the man are now being identified.
Meanwhile, the single new imported COVID-19 case on Thursday involved a man in his 20s who traveled to the United States for work in May, and visited Italy on Oct. 25 on a business trip before returning to Taiwan on Tuesday.
He was tested upon arrival at the airport and his result came back positive on Thursday, the CECC said.
To date, Taiwan has confirmed a total of 16,430 COVID-19 cases, including 14,426 domestic infections reported since May 15, when the country first recorded more than 100 cases in a single day, CECC data showed.
Since Aug. 15, the daily number of domestic cases has fallen to mostly single digits, totaling 123 since then.
The country’s total number of imported cases has risen by 486 during the same period to 1,786, according to CECC data.
With no new deaths reported Thursday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 fatalities in the country remains at 847, with all but 12 recorded since May 15, CECC data showed.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel