Taiwan reports 2 new imported coronavirus cases from Dubai, France

台灣新增兩例從杜拜與法國移入的冠狀病毒病例

2 Taiwanese women test positive for coronavirus after returning from Dubai, France


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Monday (Oct. 12) announced two new imported cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) from Dubai and France.

During a press conference on Monday, CECC Spokesman Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) announced two imported coronavirus infections, raising the total number of cases in Taiwan to 529. The latest cases include two Taiwanese women in their 20s who had recently returned from Dubai and France.

Chuang said that Case No. 528 went to study in France in January of this year and returned to Taiwan on Oct. 4. When she arrived in Taiwan she did not report feeling any symptoms of the virus and went home to begin her 14-day quarantine.

However, on Oct. 7, she began to experience a runny nose and itchy throat. The health department arranged for her to undergo a test for the coronavirus on Oct. 8.

She was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Oct. 12 and has been placed in a hospital isolation ward. A friend who was on the same return flight to Taiwan and has been staying in the same quarantine location has been asked to begin home isolation.

Case No. 529 has been working in Dubai and other countries for an extended period of time, with her last departure from Taipei taking place in January of this year. On Sept. 30, she returned to Taiwan for vacation and did not report any symptoms upon arrival.

On Oct. 10, however, she began to lose her sense of taste. Due to the abnormal symptoms, the health department then arranged for her to undergo testing for the coronavirus.

She was confirmed to have the virus on Oct. 12 and was placed in a hospital isolation ward. As she was undergoing home quarantine two days before the onset of symptoms, the health department has not listed any persons as having come in contact with her.

The CECC on Monday did not announce any new reports of people with suspected symptoms. Since the outbreak began, Taiwan has carried out 96,859 COVID-19 tests, with 95,739 coming back negative.

Out of the 529 confirmed cases, 437 were imported, 55 were local, 36 came from the Navy's "Goodwill Fleet," and one was the unresolved case of a Belgian engineer who arrived in early May to work on a wind farm project in Changhua County. Up until now, seven individuals have succumbed to the disease, while 489 have been released from hospital isolation, leaving 33 patients still undergoing treatment in Taiwan.

As of Monday, there are 37,528,835 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 1,081,874 deaths from the virus which originated in Wuhan, China, late last year.