domestic cases of unknown origin, one death
Taiwan reported two domestic cases Friday whose source of infection remained unknown, which were among a total of 68 new COVID-19 cases, according to Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (???).
Cases of unknown origin
The two cases involved a father and a son who live together, with the son taking a test on Feb. 24 after developing symptoms on Feb. 23, Chen said during a Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) press briefing.
The father was listed as the son’s contact and also tested positive on Friday, although he remained asymptomatic, Chen said, adding that the mother had so far tested negative.
The son’s wife, who returned from South Korea on Feb. 12, was not considered the source of the infection as she had not had physical contact with her husband due to other quarantine measures, Chen said.
Some 200 people have been listed as contacts of the two cases, according to Chen.
The other domestic case reported on Friday was a woman who may have contracted the disease from her sister, who was reported as an imported case from the United States on Feb. 20, Chen said.
The figures do not include imported cases reclassified as domestic ones, nor retroactively removed cases. As of Feb. 25, Taiwan recorded 801 domestic and 2,471 imported COVID-19 cases in 2022.
Taiwan also reported 65 imported cases on Friday, 21 of which involved travelers who tested positive upon arrival in Taiwan.
The cases — 30 male, 33 female, and two unspecified — came from about 20 countries including the U.S., Indonesia, India, Vietnam, and the Philippines, CECC data showed.
Third fatal COVID-19 case in 2022
Meanwhile, a new death was reported Friday, a Taiwanese man in his 60s who suffered from chronic illnesses, the CECC said.
The man was reported as an imported case from the Philippines on Jan. 30, the CECC said, adding that the man, who had received two Moderna vaccine doses, died on Feb. 23.
To date, Taiwan has confirmed 20,304 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in early 2020, including 15,404 domestically transmitted infections.
With one death reported Friday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 fatalities in the country now stands at 853.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel