Taiwan reports 4 imported COVID cases from Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Philippines, and Ireland
台灣傳出四例分別從衣索比亞、孟加拉、菲律賓與愛爾蘭移入的冠狀病毒病例
4 Taiwanese men test positive for COVID after returning from work and studies overseas
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Tuesday (April 13) confirmed four COVID-19 infections imported from Bangladesh, the Philippines, Ethiopia, and Ireland.
During a press conference, CECC Spokesman Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) announced one imported infection, raising the country's total to 1,062. The latest cases are all Taiwanese men who recently returned from overseas.
Each had submitted negative results of a test taken within three days of their flight. Three were sent directly to an epidemic prevention hotel or quarantine center upon arrival in Taiwan, while one was immediately hospitalized.
Chuang said that case No. 1,060 is a Taiwanese man in his 40s who went to Bangladesh for work in mid-February of this year and returned to Taiwan April 1. While undergoing quarantine, he began to experience nasal congestion and a runny nose on April 9.
The health department arranged for him to undergo a coronavirus test on April 10, and he was diagnosed with COVID-19 on April 13. Since he had been quarantined for at least two days before the onset of symptoms, the health department has not listed any contacts in his case.
Case No. 1,061 is a man in his 50s who has lived in the Philippines for an extended period of time, most recently having departed Taiwan last October. He returned to Taiwan on April 11 to receive medical treatment for another condition.
Upon arrival, he was directly taken to a hospital for treatment and a coronavirus test. Doctors soon determined that the patient should be transferred to another hospital, and he was tested again for the coronavirus.
On April 12, he began to develop mild wheezing. Both tests came back positive for COVID-19 with Ct values of 20 and 21, respectively, and he was diagnosed with the disease on April 13.
The health department has identified two passengers who sat in the two rows directly in front of and behind him as contacts. Both have been told to enter home isolation.
According to Chuang, case No. 1,062 is a Taiwanese man in his 30s who flew to Ethiopia for work last October. From March 12 to 14, he developed a cough, headache, body ache, and abnormal sense of smell.
On March 26, a local coronavirus test yielded a positive result. However, subsequent tests taken on April 1 and April 7 both came back negative.
When he returned to Taiwan on April 9, he proactively told quarantine officers he had been suffering from a cough. A test carried out at the airport came back negative.
On April 12, he underwent another coronavirus test while at a quarantine center. The results came back positive with a Ct value of 32, and he was found to have both IgM and IgG antibodies.
The health department has identified 10 contacts in his case, all of whom had sat in the two rows directly in front of and behind him on his flight to Taiwan. They have all been told to begin home isolation.
Chuang pointed out that case No. 1,063 is a Taiwanese man in his 20s who went to Ireland for study in September of last year. He returned to Taiwan on April 8 and was experiencing a runny nose when he arrived.
On April 12, he developed a fever and underwent a coronavirus test. The results came back positive, and he was diagnosed with COVID-19 on April 13.
The health department is currently investigating persons who were on his flight as potential contacts.
Since the outbreak began, Taiwan has carried out 196,502 COVID-19 tests, with 194,709 coming back negative. Out of the 1,062 officially confirmed cases, 946 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, 11 individuals have succumbed to the disease, while 1,027 have been released from hospital isolation, leaving 24 patients still undergoing treatment in Taiwan.
