《TAIPEI TIMES》 Record 41 imported cases reported

Staff writer, with CNA /

Taiwan yesterday reported 41 new imported COVID-19 cases, the highest number of such cases since the pandemic began in early 2020, the Central Epidemic Command Center （CECC） said yesterday.

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The 41 cases entered Taiwan between Dec. 16 last year and Thursday, including at least 34 Taiwanese, the CECC said, adding that the nationality of one man was “under investigation.”

Twenty-five of the cases were classified as breakthrough infections, three involved people who were not vaccinated, and the status of the other 13 was under investigation, the CECC said.

The 41 cases eclipsed the previous single-day record for imported cases, one day after a daily count of 24 cases tied the previous record.

In other developments, results of genome sequencing showed that a case at a quarantine hotel in Taipei’s Zhongzheng District （中正） who tested positive on Tuesday was infected with the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, said Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang （莊人祥）, who is the CECC’s spokesman.

The center is investigating whether two other cases among guests at the hotel who were confirmed on Thursday are linked to the Omicron case, he said, adding that genome sequencing of the two cases is under way.

Separately, Taiwan on Thursday received its 15th shipment of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines, containing 938,300 doses, the CECC said.

The shipment arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on a flight operated by China Airlines Ltd （中華航空）.

The doses expire on March 28, the CECC said.

The delivery is part of 15 million vaccines ordered by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co （台積電）; the Yonglin Foundation, which is affiliated with Hon Hai Precision Industry Co （鴻海精密）; and the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation. The doses were donated to the government for distribution among the public.

Taiwan has now received about 38 million COVID-19 vaccines, including more than 13.3 million Pfizer-BioNTech doses.

As of Thursday, the nation’s first-dose vaccination coverage had reached 79.96 percent, and full vaccination coverage was 68.9 percent, CECC data showed.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES