Taiwan reported 25,071 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, all but 281 of which were domestic infections, and 37 deaths from the disease, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
The deceased ranged in age from their 40s to over 90, according to the CECC.
Also on Tuesday, the CECC said that 36 previously reported COVID-19 cases had become severe, while 32 other individuals had developed moderate symptoms.
Among the severe cases are two children who have been diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), the CECC said.
Severe cases involving children
One is a 2-year-old boy who tested positive for COVID-19 on June 8. On July 17, he began vomiting and developed a fever, cough, runny nose, bloodshot eyes, and diarrhea, the CECC said. He was taken to hospital four days later with stomach pains and a fever of over 40 degrees Celsius, the CECC said.
Two days after being admitted to hospital, the child developed a rash and rapid heartbeat and was diagnosed with MIS-C, the CECC said, adding that he is still being treated in hospital.
The other child is a 5-year-old boy who tested positive for COVID-19 June 19. He developed a fever, diarrhea, bloodshot eyes, and loss of appetite on July 20, the CECC said. He was admitted to hospital three days later and is still being treated there, it said.
To date, 120 children under the age of 13 years have developed severe illnesses from COVID-19, and 25 of them have died, according to the CECC.
Of the 4,414,383 domestic cases reported in Taiwan this year, 9,068 have been classified as severe infections and 11,261 as moderate, accounting for 0.21 percent and 0.26 percent of the total, respectively, according to CECC data as of July 25.
In all other cases, the infected persons were either asymptomatic or had mild symptoms, the CECC said.
Regional breakdown
On Tuesday, New Taipei recorded the highest number of domestic cases, with 3,939, followed by Taichung with 3,120, and Kaohsiung with 2,584.
Taipei reported 2,523 cases, Taoyuan 2,211, Tainan 2,047, Changhua County 1,265, Pingtung County 870, Yunlin County 756, Miaoli County 725, Yilan County 651, and Hsinchu County 583.
Chiayi County recorded 551 cases, Hualien County 544, Hsinchu City 492, Nantou County 465, Keelung 374, Chiayi City 357, Taitung County 314, Kinmen County 256, Penghu County 149, and the Matsu Islands 14.
To date, Taiwan has recorded 4,472,755 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in early 2020, including 4,453,751 domestic infections.
With the 37 deaths reported Tuesday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 fatalities in the country rose to 8,686.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel