Taiwan reported 24,093 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, all but 280 of which were domestic infections, and 86 deaths from the disease, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
The individuals whose deaths were reported Friday ranged in age from 4 years old to over 90. Forty-seven of those who died were unvaccinated against COVID-19, while 83 had chronic illnesses or other severe diseases, the CECC said.
The three people who had no chronic illness or severe disease were all unvaccinated, according to the CECC.
Death of a young child
The 4-year-old girl who passed away had tested positive for COVID-19 on July 15 at a doctor’s clinic, after she developed a fever and sore throat, Lo Yi-chun (???), deputy head of the CECC’s medical response division, said at a press briefing.
She was taken to a hospital emergency room on July 17, after she lost her appetite and energy, and she was admitted because the doctors suspected she had developed meningitis, he said.
While in hospital, the child had to be intubated because of respiratory distress, and she later suffered an epileptic seizure and neurological shock, Lo said.
“Unfortunately, her condition deteriorated, and she passed away on July 19,” Lo said.
The cause of her death was recorded as acute encephalitis due to COVID-19, Lo said, adding that she had also been diagnosed in hospital with an underlying metabolic disorder.
It was the eighth case of a child in Taiwan dying of encephalitis after contracting COVID-19, Lo said, noting that the coronavirus has claimed the lives of 24 children in the country, to date.
Severe infections, MIS-C cases
Also on Friday, the CECC said that 69 previously reported COVID-19 cases had become severe, while 109 other individuals had developed moderate symptoms.
Among the severe cases was a 3-year-old boy, who was diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), Lo said.
The boy tested positive for COVID-19 on May 14, and two months later he developed a rash, fever, cough, sore throat, and red eyes, and he was taken to a hospital emergency room on July 16, Lo said.
He was admitted to hospital and was in intensive care for a while, but his condition has since improved, and he is now out of the ICU and in stable condition, Lo said.
To date, Taiwan has recorded 46 cases of MIS-C, while 110 children have developed serious complications from COVID-19, according to Lo.
Of the 4,329,914 domestic cases reported in Taiwan this year, 8,830 have been classified as severe infections, and 11,053 as moderate, accounting for 0.20 percent and 0.26 percent of the total, respectively, according to CECC data as of July 21.
In all other cases, the infected individuals were either asymptomatic or had mild symptoms, the CECC said.
Regional breakdown
On Friday, New Taipei recorded the highest number of domestic cases, with 4,140 cases, followed by Taichung with 2,846 case, and Taoyuan with 2,562.
Kaohsiung reported 2,513 cases, Taipei 2,352, Tainan 1,877, Changhua County 1,089, Pingtung County 765, Miaoli County 648, Hsinchu County 644, and Yilan County 601.
Yunlin County recorded 586 cases, Hsinchu City 569, Hualien County 499, Chiayi County 448, Nantou County 434, Keelung 335, Taitung County 304, Chiayi City 283, Kinmen County 159, Penghu County 131, the Matsu Islands 28.
To date, Taiwan has recorded 4,386,289 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in early 2020, including 4,368,300 domestic infections.
With the 86 deaths reported Friday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 fatalities in the country rose to 8,478.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel