A Taiwanese man who returned from China’s Zhejiang Province late last month has been identified as the suspected source of infection for the nation’s first COVID-19 death, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said.
The death of the nation’s 19th confirmed case of COVID-19 was announced on Sunday: a 61-year-old Taiwanese man who was hospitalized for suspected serious flu complications with pneumonia on Feb. 3 and died of sepsis on Saturday, shortly after he tested positive for the virus.
The man was an independent taxi driver who late last month transported at least three Taiwanese passengers returning from China before he began exhibiting symptoms on Jan. 27, the center said, adding that it was working to trace everyone who came into contact with him for COVID-19 screening as soon as possible.
Photo: CNA
The man’s 51-year-old brother, who lived with him, tested positive for the disease on Saturday and was on Sunday announced as the nation’s 20th confirmed case.
The driver’s mother and nephew-in-law, who joined a family reunion lunch on Jan. 27, were on Monday night announced as the nation’s 21st and 22nd confirmed cases.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, on Monday night said that the center found that a Taiwanese man, who returned from Zhejiang on Jan. 27 and had a severe cough when he took a ride with the driver, had sought treatment in the following days.
The traveler was considered the most likely source of infection in the driver’s case, although his first test was negative for COVID-19, Chen said.
The man’s blood would be tested to determine if he developed antibodies for the disease, which would indicate whether he had been infected, Chen added.
Chen yesterday said that the center has identified 235 people who had close contact with the driver and his three relatives, of whom 200 have undergone testing for the disease, while 32 had adequate protection and did not require testing.
As of yesterday afternoon, 175 of the people tested negative for COVID-19 and 22 were awaiting test results, the center said.
“From the test results and our contact investigation so far, we think that this cluster of cases [involving the family] is unlikely to spread further in the community,” Chen said.
Separately yesterday, Chen said that the center has designated the Diamond Princess cruise ship anchored near Yokohama, Japan, as an epidemic area.
As of yesterday the ship had 542 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection, including four Taiwanese passengers.
All Taiwanese passengers and crew on board the Diamond Princess are to return to Taiwan on a charter flight arranged by the center and must cooperate with quarantine measures after arrival, he said.
SEPARATE: The MAC rebutted Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is China’s province, asserting that UN Resolution 2758 neither mentions Taiwan nor grants the PRC authority over it The “status quo” of democratic Taiwan and autocratic China not belonging to each other has long been recognized by the international community, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday in its rebuttal of Beijing’s claim that Taiwan can only be represented in the UN as “Taiwan, Province of China.” Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) yesterday at a news conference of the third session at the 14th National People’s Congress said that Taiwan can only be referred to as “Taiwan, Province of China” at the UN. Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory, which is not only history but
CROSSED A LINE: While entertainers working in China have made pro-China statements before, this time it seriously affected the nation’s security and interests, a source said The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) late on Saturday night condemned the comments of Taiwanese entertainers who reposted Chinese statements denigrating Taiwan’s sovereignty. The nation’s cross-strait affairs authority issued the statement after several Taiwanese entertainers, including Patty Hou (侯佩岑), Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜) and Michelle Chen (陳妍希), on Friday and Saturday shared on their respective Sina Weibo (微博) accounts a post by state broadcaster China Central Television. The post showed an image of a map of Taiwan along with the five stars of the Chinese flag, and the message: “Taiwan is never a country. It never was and never will be.” The post followed remarks
INVESTMENT WATCH: The US activity would not affect the firm’s investment in Taiwan, where 11 production lines would likely be completed this year, C.C. Wei said Investments by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in the US should not be a cause for concern, but rather seen as the moment that the company and Taiwan stepped into the global spotlight, President William Lai (賴清德) told a news conference at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday alongside TSMC chairman and chief executive officer C.C. Wei (魏哲家). Wei and US President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday announced plans to invest US$100 billion in the US to build three advanced foundries, two packaging plants, and a research and development center, after Trump threatened to slap tariffs on chips made
Proposed amendments would forbid the use of all personal electronic devices during school hours in high schools and below, starting from the next school year in August, the Ministry of Education said on Monday. The Regulations on the Use of Mobile Devices at Educational Facilities up to High Schools (高級中等以下學校校園行動載具使用原則) state that mobile devices — defined as mobile phones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches or other wearables — should be turned off at school. The changes would stipulate that use of such devices during class is forbidden, and the devices should be handed to a teacher or the school for safekeeping. The amendments also say
RSS