Taiwan reports 6 imported cases from Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Indonesia, US

台灣傳出6例病例從孟加拉、衣索比亞、緬甸、印度尼西亞、美國移入

Latest imported cases include 2 Taiwanese, 2 Indonesians, 1 Bangladeshi, 1 Myanmar national


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Wednesday (March 31) confirmed six COVID-19 infections imported from the U.S., Myanmar, Indonesia, Ethiopia, and Bangladesh.

During a press conference on Wednesday, Health Minister and CECC head Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) announced six imported infections, raising the country's total number to 1,030. The latest cases include two Taiwanese, two Indonesians, one Bangladeshi, and one Myanmar national.

Each had submitted the negative result of a coronavirus test taken within three days of their flight, and each was sent directly to their residence or a quarantine center upon arrival in Taiwan.

Chen said that case No. 1,026 is a Taiwanese man in his 70s who has lived in the U.S. for an extended period of time. When he returned to Taiwan on Jan. 3, he did not report any symptoms of the disease.

As he was preparing to go overseas, he went to a hospital to undergo a coronavirus test at his own expense on March 29. On March 31, he was diagnosed with COVID-19.

He was found to have a Ct value of 31 and tested positive for IgM and IgG antibodies. The health department has identified a 53 contacts in his case.

Of these, 12 have entered home isolation, while 41 have been asked to begin self-health monitoring. A total of 48 people have been tested for the virus so far, with 17 receiving negative PCR results and the rest awaiting the results of PCR and serum antibody tests.

Case No. 1,027 is a male fishery worker in his 30s from Myanmar who came to Taiwan for work on March 14. After his quarantine ended on March 29, his company arranged for him to take a self-paid coronavirus test.

He tested positive on March 31 and was found to have a Ct value of 35, while the results of his serum antibody tests are still pending. The health department has identified three contacts in his case, including two who have entered home isolation and one who has been asked to commence self-health monitoring.

According to Chen, cases 1,028 and 1,029 are male Indonesian fishery workers in their 20s who came to Taiwan for work on March 4. As their quarantines were set to end, they underwent coronavirus tests on March 17, and the results came back negative.

After their quarantine concluded, they were transported to a residence to undergo self-health monitoring. On March 24, they rode in a special vehicle to a hospital to undergo a coronavirus test at their own expense, and the results were again negative.

Because five of their colleagues (Cases 1,015-1,019) had been diagnosed with the virus, the two men were transferred to home quarantine. On March 29, their company arranged for them to go to a hospital to take another coronavirus test at their own expense.

On March 31, cases 1,028 and 1,029 were confirmed with COVID-19 and Ct values of 34 and 31, respectively. The health department has identified a total of six contacts in their cases, including four who have entered home isolation and two who are undergoing self-health monitoring.

Chen stated that case No. 1,030 is a Taiwanese man in his 20s who went to Ethiopia for work in October of last year. When he returned to Taiwan on March 28, he was asymptomatic but proactively told quarantine officers that he had previously experienced suspicious symptoms while overseas, including a cough and abnormality with his senses of taste and smell.

A coronavirus test he undertook at the airport came back negative. On March 30, he was tested again, and on March 31 he tested positive for COVID-19 with a Ct value of 31, while the results of his serum antibody test are still pending.

The health department has identified 17 contacts in his case, including five who have entered home isolation and 12 who are self-health monitoring.

Lastly, case No. 1,031 is a Bangladeshi woman in her 20s who came to Taiwan to study on March 26. She began to experience a cough on March 28, and the health department arranged for her to be tested.

On March 31, she tested positive with a Ct value of 18. The health department has identified 10 people in her case, of whom 8 have been told to undergo home isolation, while two have been asked to start self-health monitoring.

Since the outbreak began, Taiwan has carried out 189,458 COVID-19 tests, with 187,640 coming back negative. Out of the 1,030 officially confirmed cases, 914 were imported, 77 were local, 36 came from the Navy's "Goodwill Fleet," two were from a cargo pilot cluster, one was an unresolved case, and one (case No. 530) was removed as a confirmed case.

Up until now, 10 individuals have succumbed to the disease, while 981 have been released from hospital isolation. There are currently 39 patients still undergoing treatment in Taiwan.