The Omicron BA.5 subvariant of SARS-CoV-2 accounted for 59.2 percent of the sequenced domestic COVID-19 cases last week, while the Omicron BA.4.6 subvariant had been discovered in 11 previous cases, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Director-General Chou Jih-haw (周志浩), head of the CECC’s disease surveillance division, said 28,210 new local infections, 239 imported cases and 31 deaths were confirmed yesterday.
The local case count is about 10 percent higher than that of Monday last week, showing that the number of COVID-19 cases is still rising, so the center again encouraged people to stay up to date with their vaccine shots for better protection, Chou said.
Photo: CNA
Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝), who heads the CECC, said the number of accumulated local cases last week was 286,484, which was 20.8 percent higher than the week before, in which 237,484 cases were reported, showing that the increase in the number of cases is not particularly fast, but it is still growing.
CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), deputy head of the CECC’s medical response division, said the genome sequencing results of samples from 179 local cases last week showed that 106, or 59.2 percent, were infected with the Omicron BA.5 subvariant, while the others were infected with the Omicron BA.2 subvariant.
The Omicron BA.5 subvariant has become the dominant strain in northern, central and southern Taiwan, accounting for about 60 to 63 percent of cases, but in eastern Taiwan it only accounts for about 20 percent of the cases, Lo said, adding that the Omicron BA.5 subvariant is slowly replacing the Omicron BA.2 subvariant.
The Omicron BA.4.6 subvariant that has been reported spreading in the US had been detected in seven imported cases — two from the US, and one each from Austria, France, South Korea, the Netherlands and the UK — and four previous local cases, he said.
The four local cases include a family cluster of three which were all mild infections and community spread has not been observed, he added.
Studies have suggested that the Omicron BA.4.6 subvariant is about 10 percent more transmissible than the BA.5 subvariant, which does not imply that it would spread more rapidly, and studies have also suggested that the BA.4.6 subvariant might be more resistant to Evusheld, a combination of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies effective against the virus, Lo said.
Meanwhile, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) has instructed government agencies to discuss supplementary measures and make preparations for the nation’s borders to be reopened, but no schedule has yet been decided, Wang said.
Su also said that the public and related industries would need time to understand any new policies and prepare for them, Wang said.
“We will certainly announce the new policies as early as possible, so that everyone would have sufficient time to prepare,” he said.
Separately, CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is the CECC spokesman, said as some local governments plan to start administering the new bivalent vaccine on Saturday, eligible recipients who wish to get a shot are advised to check their local health department’s Web site for information.
Government-funded flu vaccinations are expected to start on Oct. 1, and people can receive the flu vaccine and the COVID-19 vaccine in different arms on the same day, Chuang said, adding that if people wish to observe the possible adverse effects of each vaccine, they could receive them on different days or consult a doctor for advice.
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
POOR IMPLEMENTATION: Teachers welcomed the suspension, saying that the scheme disrupted school schedules, quality of learning and the milk market A policy to offer free milk to all school-age children nationwide is to be suspended next year due to multiple problems arising from implementation of the policy, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday. The policy was designed to increase the calcium intake of school-age children in Taiwan by drinking milk, as more than 80 percent drink less than 240ml per day. The recommended amount is 480ml. It was also implemented to help Taiwanese dairy farmers counter competition from fresh milk produced in New Zealand, which is to be imported to Taiwan tariff-free next year when the Agreement Between New Zealand and
Taiwanese professional baseball should update sports stadiums and boost engagement to enhance fans’ experience, Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in an interview on Friday. The league has urged Farglory Group and the Taipei City Government to improve the Taipei Dome’s outdated equipment, including relatively rudimentary television and sound systems, and poor technology, he said. The Tokyo Dome has markedly better television and sound systems, despite being 30 years old, because its managers continually upgraded its equipment, Tsai said. In contrast, the Taipei Dome lacked even a room for referees
RSS