The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Wednesday said that Taiwan reported six new cases of COVID-19, and that the period over which people aged 23-28 can receive the AstraZeneca vaccine will be extended.
Of the six new cases, one was transmitted domestically and five contracted overseas, Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung (???) said at the CECC press briefing.
The sole domestic case is a Taipei resident who is a contact of a previously confirmed COVID-19 patient, and she tested positive during quarantine, Chen said.
The five imported cases involved four Taiwanese and a Nigerian national who traveled to Taiwan from the United Arab Emirates, Nigeria, Nicaragua, and the United States.
The single death reported Wednesday was a man in his 60s who passed away on Aug. 30, according to the CECC.
Speaking at the press briefing, CECC official Lo Yi-chun (???) said that a COVID-19 patient reported on Aug. 29 had been reclassified from a domestic to an imported case.
The patient traveled to Taiwan from the United States on July 23, having already received two doses of the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine. Prior to finishing quarantine on Aug. 6, she tested negative for COVID-19.
She took another COVID-19 test on Aug. 28 in preparation for returning to the U.S., and the results this time came back positive.
Health authorities initially listed the woman as a domestic case because she experienced symptoms such as tinnitus while in Taiwan, Lo said, but the patient later said that she had had these symptoms intermittently since September last year.
Based on how long these symptoms have lasted, the patient's antibody test results and the relatively high CT value of her COVID-19 test, the CECC has concluded that she likely contracted the disease a long time ago and have reclassified her as an imported case, Lo said.
On the topic of vaccines, Chen said that the newest round of AstraZeneca vaccinations -- which will cover people aged 23-28 who registered their interest in the vaccine prior to July 19 -- will take place from Sept. 9-12, instead of from Sept. 9-10.
The CECC decided to extend the vaccination period because of concern from local governments that two days was too short a period for the process to go smoothly, Chen said.
Those eligible in this round of vaccinations can book an appointment through the government website, National Health Insurance (NHI) app, a convenience store or pharmacy contracted by the NHI, from 10 a.m. Friday to 6 p.m. Saturday.
To date, Taiwan has confirmed a total of 16,001 COVID-19 cases, of which 14,364 are domestic infections reported since May 15, when the country first recorded more than 100 cases in a single day.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the country has risen to 836, with all but 12 recorded since May 15,
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel