Taiwan on Sunday reported 10 new cases of COVID-19, including the first domestically transmitted infection in Yunlin County in more than two months, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
Six of the new cases were domestic infections, and four were contracted overseas, the CECC said.
Of the domestic cases, three were reported in Taipei and one each in New Taipei, Taoyuan and Yunlin County. The CECC said three of those cases had a known source of infection, and the others were being investigated.
Meanwhile, for the first time in 62 days, Yunlin recorded a new domestic COVID-19 case, according to the county government.
The patient is a Philippine national in her 30s, who arrived in Taiwan in March to work as a caregiver, according to the county government. She tested negative for COVID-19 before her 14-day quarantine ended, and she went to work with a family in Taipei’s Neihu District, county officials said at press briefing.
On July 16, the caregiver tested negative again, as she was preparing to switch jobs, and she started working with a family in Yunlin’s Beigang Township, the officials said.
On Saturday, she was tested a third time, in preparation for staying in hospital with her sick employer, and the results came back positive, the officials said.
Judging by the patient’s high CT levels, she was likely infected a while back, when she was in Taipei, the officials said. The county government, however, is taking the precaution of setting up a rapid testing station in Caohu Village, where the woman lives, so people in the neighborhood can get tested, the officials added.
The testing station will open at 2 p.m. on Monday at the Xihu Activity Center, they said.
The four imported cases on Sunday, meanwhile, involved two Taiwanese, a South African and an Indian national, who recently arrived from Japan, Germany, South Africa and India, according to the CECC.
Two of those cases were classified as breakthrough infections, as the patients came down with the disease at least 14 days after receiving one or two of the shots they needed to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, said CECC official Lo Yi-chun (???).
This brings the number of breakthrough infections among travelers to Taiwan to 19, with eight of them having received the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine, five the AstraZeneca vaccine, and three each the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson jabs, respectively, Luo said.
To date, Taiwan has confirmed a total of 15,926 COVID-19 cases, of which 14,338 are domestic infections reported since May 15, when the country first recorded more than 100 COVID-19 cases in a single day.
With no new deaths reported Sunday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 fatalities in the country remained at 828, with all but 12 recorded since May 15, CECC data showed.
Taiwan Paralympic team departs for Tokyo
A 38-member delegation, comprising Taiwan’s national Paralympic team, coaches, support staff and officials, departed for Japan on Sunday to take part in the Tokyo Paralympics Aug. 24 to Sept. 5.
At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, which were postponed from last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 10 Taiwanese athletes will compete in table tennis, powerlifting, badminton, judo, swimming, and track and field.
Judoka Lee Kai-lin (???), who won a silver medal at the 2012 London Paralympics, said she was looking forward to her third Games.
Lee said she has managed to stay fit, physically and psychologically, and hopes to follow in the footsteps of Yang Yung-wei (???), who won a silver medal in judo at the Tokyo Olympics last month.
First time Paralympic swimmer Chen Liang-da (???) said he wants to not only make a breakthrough but also enjoy the two-week Games.
Chen said, however, that he has to take it easy and not put too much pressure on himself, because he was forced to suspend training for two months due to the domestic COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan over the past few months.
Powerlifter Lin Ya-hsuan (???), who will be competing for the sixth time in the Paralympics, said composure is the key to successful participation in the Games.
“I used to be very nervous when I was trying to give my best performance, but the higher my expectations, the more likely I was to mess up,” she said.
he other six members of the Taiwan delegation, including the badminton team, will head to Tokyo on Aug. 27.
Those who departed Sunday were all in high spirits, according to Lin Che-hung (???), deputy director-general of the Sports Administration, who was part of the 32-member Taiwan delegation.
“Participation in the Games itself is a victory,” Lin said.
Nonetheless, he said, he hopes Taiwan will increase its best Paralympic medal count this year from one silver and one bronze.
The 2020 Tokyo Paralympics will be held over 13 days, from Aug. 24 to Sept. 5, with some 160 countries expected to participate.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel
