Taiwan recorded 23,289 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, all but 306 of which were domestic infections, and 57 deaths from the disease, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
The deceased ranged in age from their 30s to over 90. Thirty of those who died were unvaccinated, while 54 had chronic illnesses or other severe diseases, the CECC said.
Also on Friday, the CECC said that 61 previously reported COVID-19 cases had become severe, while 79 other individuals had developed moderate symptoms.
Severe cases involving children
Among the severe cases are eight children who have been diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), the CECC said.
The children with MIS-C range in age from 3 to 11 years old, and they tested positive for COVID-19 between May 13 and July 14.
Their MIS-C symptoms included fever, vomiting, diarrhea, decreased appetite, cough, rash, sore throat, and headache, according to the CECC.
Five of them have already been discharged from hospital as their conditions have since improved, while three are still being hospitalized and receiving treatment, the epidemic center said.
To date, 136 children under the age of 13 have developed severe illnesses from COVID-19, of whom the majority were below six years old, according to the CECC.
Also, of the 136 children with severe COVID-19, 70 have been diagnosed with MIS-C.
Regional breakdown
On Friday, New Taipei recorded the highest number of domestic cases, with 4,065, followed by Taichung with 2,685, and Taoyuan with 2,392.
Kaohsiung reported 2,313 cases, Taipei 2,299, Tainan 1,906, Changhua County 1,135, Pingtung County 719, Hsinchu County 657, Miaoli County 643, Yunlin County 636, Hsinchu City 551 and Yilan County 512.
Hualien County recorded 446, Chiayi County 436, Nantou County 363, Keelung 326, Chiayi City 301, Taitung County 278, Kinmen County 169, Penghu County 139, and Matsu Islands 12.
To date, Taiwan has recorded 4,545,636 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in early 2020, including 4,526,011 domestic infections.
With the 57 deaths reported Friday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 fatalities in the country rose to 8,833.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel