The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported 21 new domestic COVID-19 cases, including one that links two clusters of unknown origin in Taoyuan.
The two clusters, which were recorded earlier this week, involve a preschool and a Chien Tu Hot Pot (錢都日式涮涮鍋) restaurant in the city’s Bade District (八德).
Taoyuan health authorities have found that the clusters are linked by a woman in her 60s who dined at the restaurant on the same day as several previously recorded cases and whose grandson attends the preschool, said Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the CECC.
Photo: CNA
The combined cluster involves 23 cases, including eight confirmed yesterday.
The genome sequence of the cases matches other cases of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 circulating in Taoyuan, Chen said, adding that the CECC is still investigating the chains of infections.
The Taoyuan outbreak early this month originated from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, with related clusters in a social club, factories, a bank, a steakhouse and, most recently, the Farglory Free Trade Zone (遠雄自由貿易園區).
Photo: CNA
It is the nation’s largest active cluster, with more than 250 cases, CECC data showed.
The second-largest active cluster is linked to the Port of Kaohsiung, with 72 cases, including eight reported yesterday.
The Kaohsiung cluster is suspected to have begun with a maintenance worker who came into contact with people on board a Sierra Leone-flagged vessel.
Chen said that there are two other active clusters: one centered on a man in Taoyuan’s Longtan District (龍潭) and one centered on Evergreen Resort Hotel Jiaosi (礁溪長榮飯店) in Yilan County, with both recording one case yesterday.
Six and nine cases are linked to the respective clusters, he added.
The remaining three domestic cases reported yesterday were Taoyuan residents whose source of infection is unknown, Chen said, adding that health authorities are looking into how they contracted the disease.
Of the new domestic cases, 12 were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, seven were unvaccinated, and the vaccination status of two cases is still under investigation, the CECC said.
The center also reported 43 imported cases, including 15 who tested positive upon arrival in Taiwan on Wednesday.
The CECC did not release information on the vaccination status of the imported cases.
Chen on Wednesday said that the CECC is not considering a ban on dining at restaurants, despite recent cases having been traced to restaurants.
If the CECC ordered the closure of all places where infection could occur, it would affect people’s livelihood, Chen said.
Places where confirmed cases contracted the virus would still be ordered to close temporarily while contact tracing is conducted, Chen said.
Taiwan has confirmed 18,566 COVID-19 cases since the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020, including 14,994 domestically transmitted infections.
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