A newly confirmed COVID-19 case might indicate person-to-person transmission within a Taoyuan hotel, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday, as 412 people were moved from the facility to government quarantine centers.
The center announced three more cases linked to China Airlines Ltd (CAL, 華航), two of which were domestically transmitted, while the source of the third is unknown.
One of the domestic cases is a senior housekeeping employee at Novotel Taipei Taoyuan International Airport, where many CAL flight crew members stay for quarantine after arriving in Taiwan, the CECC said.
Photo: Tony Yao, Taipei Times
The man in his 40s developed symptoms on April 17 and sought treatment at a clinic three times from Monday last week to Monday, but his condition did not improve, it said.
On Tuesday, he went to a local hospital, where he was diagnosed with pneumonia, and he tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday, the CECC said, adding that he is in an intensive care unit.
The man was in charge of checking the cleanliness of the rooms and helped deliver items to people in quarantine there, said Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the CECC.
The man reportedly wore a mask and gloves while on the job, Chen added.
The possibility that he was infected through environmental transmission is minimal, he said, but added that it was possibly spread through contact between cleaning staff.
According to CECC guidelines, after a guest checks out of a quarantine hotel, a team disinfects their room wearing full protective gear, Chen said.
Thirty minutes after the room is disinfected, sanitation workers enter to clean without wearing medical gowns, he added.
If any area was not properly sanitized, it is the second group of cleaners who would face risk of infection, he said.
Yesterday’s confirmed case inspected rooms after they were cleaned by this second group, meaning he likely contracted the virus from a coworker, Chen said.
Three other employees at the hotel have developed fevers and are being tested for COVID-19, two of whom are cleaning staff, he added.
Since there is a possibility of person-to-person transmission, the highest level of containment measures have been activated, Chen said, meaning that all 412 people at the hotel have been moved to government quarantine centers.
Of them, 207 are employees, 109 are Taiwanese pilots and 76 are foreign pilots, while the rest are visitors, he said.
After the hotel is emptied at about 5pm today, it is to be inspected and fully disinfected, Chen added.
The other new domestic case is a Taiwanese woman in her 40s, who is the wife of a CAL pilot who tested positive on Tuesday last week, the CECC said.
The third case linked to CAL is a Taiwanese cargo pilot in his 50s, who returned from the US on Sunday and tested positive during quarantine after he developed symptoms.
With the confirmation of the three new cases, the number of COVID-19 infections linked to CAL has increased to 16.
They are eight Taiwanese cargo pilots; three relatives of Taiwanese cargo pilots; a hotel employee; two Indonesian cargo pilots, one of whom was diagnosed in Australia; and two relatives of one of the Indonesian pilots, the CECC said.
The center has not yet determined how the pilots were infected, it said.
The CECC also reported two new imported infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 1,121, of whom 1,051 have recovered, 12 have died and 58 are in hospital.
Taiwan last night blanked world No. 1 Japan 4-0 to win the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 for the first time. Taiwanese ace Lin Yu-min (林昱珉) held defending champions Japan to just one hit and no runs in the first four innings, before catcher Lin Chia-cheng (林家正) opened the fifth inning with a solo home run. That was soon followed by a three-run homer from Taiwanese captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) to put Taiwan ahead in the prestigious tournament of the world’s top 12 baseball teams. In addition to a superb performance from 21-year-old Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Lin, three more Taiwanese pitchers
SUPPORT: Arms sales to NATO Plus countries such as Japan, South Korea and Israel only have to be approved by the US Congress if they exceed US$25m The US should amend a law to add Taiwan to the list of “NATO Plus” allies and streamline future arms sales, a US commission said on Tuesday in its annual report to the US Congress. The recommendation was made in the annual report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), which contained chapters on US-China economic and trade ties, security relations, and Taiwan and Hong Kong. In the chapter on Taiwan, the commission urged the US Congress to “amend the Arms Export Control Act of 1976 to include Taiwan on the list of ‘NATO Plus’ recipients,” referring to
Taiwan yesterday advanced to the gold medal match of the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 for the first time in history, despite last night losing 9-6 to Japan. Taiwan advanced after the US defeated Venezuela in the first game on the last day of the Super Round. However, the US had no chance of advancing to the championship game unless it defeated Venezuela by at least nine points. The US won 6-5. As a result, the two teams — who both had one win and two losses in the Super Round — are to face off again in the
Minister of Labor Ho Pei-shan (何佩珊) said she would tender her resignation following criticism of her handling of alleged bullying by Ministry of Labor Workforce Development Agency branch director Hsieh Yi-jung (謝宜容) resulting in the death of an employee. The ministry yesterday gave Hsieh two demerits and said she is subject to review by the Disciplinary Court. The severest possible punishment would be her removal from office and being barred from government jobs indefinitely. Workforce Development Agency Director-General Tsai Meng-liang (蔡孟良) also received a major demerit and was transferred to another position. Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) issued a formal apology
RSS