Taiwan adds 16,538 local COVID cases, reports first local BQ.1 case

台灣新增 16,538 例本土 COVID 病例，傳出首例本土 BQ.1 病例

4-year-old girl in north Taiwan infected with BQ.1 variant, number of local cases decreased by 26% compared to same day last week


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) confirmed 16,538 local COVID cases on Monday (Nov. 7), with 23 imported cases, and 34 deaths.

The number of local cases decreased by 26% compared to the same day last week.

Philip Lo (羅一鈞), deputy head of the CECC's medical response division, reported that among randomly sampled local cases last week, 97% were infected with Omicron BA.5. A new variant, BQ.1, was detected among sampled local infections last week for the first time.

Lo confirmed the local case infected with BQ.1 is a 4-year-old girl living in northern Taiwan who had no contact with anyone traveling to other countries recently, nor with other local infections.

BA.5, XBB, and BA.2.75 were the primary variants found among sampled imported infections last week.

At Monday's press briefing, CECC head Victor Wang (王必勝) said the center will expand the groups eligible to get free COVID-19 rapid self-test kits at designated drug stores, and the details will be announced on Wednesday. Wang reiterated the center had concluded last week the locally-produced COVID-19 vaccine from Medigen Biotech Corp. was as effective as Moderna and clinical research results had shown this.

Local cases

Local cases included 7,783 males and 8,746 females, ranging in age from under 5 to their 90s. Nine cases are still under investigation.

New Taipei City reported 2,720 cases, 2,375 in Taichung City, 2,229 in Kaohsiung City, 1,760 in Taoyuan City, 1,515 in Tainan City, 1,339 in Taipei City, 843 in Changhua County, 536 in Pingtung County, 437 in Hsinchu County, 375 in Miaoli County, 369 in Nantou County, 367 Yunlin County, 329 in Chiayi County, 323 in Hsinchu City, 214 in Keelung City, 212 in Yilan County, 212 in Chiayi City, 172 in Hualien County, 83 in Taitung County, 64 in Penghu County, 59 in Kinmen County, and 5 in Lienchiang County.

Imported cases

The 23 imported cases included 13 males and 10 females, ranging in age from their 20s to 60s.

COVID deaths

The 34 deaths included 15 males and 19 females, ranging in age from their 30s to 90s. All were classified as severe cases and 33 had a history of chronic disease. Among them, 22 had not received the third dose of a COVID vaccine.

A woman in her 30s, who was diagnosed with a cardiovascular disease and had not been vaccinated, was the youngest death recorded on Monday. In Taiwan, approximately 90% of the deceased after infection had multiple chronic or cardiovascular diseases.

Total COVID case statistics

Since the pandemic began, Taiwan has confirmed 7,904,094 cases, of which 7,867,358 were local and 36,682 were imported. So far, 13,215 individuals have succumbed to the disease, with 17 deaths reported among imported cases.