Daily hospitalizations for COVID-19 rose 17 percent last week, as the disease, seasonal influenza and enterovirus remain at their peak, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, while reporting the youngest flu-related death this year, a four-year-old boy.
CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said the average daily number of people hospitalized for moderate-to-severe cases of COVID-19 reached 244 last week, slightly higher than the previous week’s 208 cases per day, and 76 percent were people aged 65 or older.
COVID-19 genomic surveillance data showed that 65 percent of the local cases sequenced last week had Omicron XBB subvariants of SARS-CoV-2, while 32 percent had the Omicron BA.2.75 subvariant, he said.
Photo: CNA
The daily average of COVID-19 deaths last week was 28, which was also higher than the average of 20 the previous week, CDC data showed.
Among the newly confirmed deaths, 94 percent had underlying health conditions 94 percent were 60 or older, and 58 percent did not get a dose of a booster vaccine.
CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said that the positive test rate at residential care facilities, which can be an indicator for estimating new mild cases, was about 1.7 percent last week, the same as the previous week.
That suggests that the current wave of COVID-19 infections has likely reached its peak, Lo said.
An estimated 23,000 to 28,000 new mild infections are reported each day, and whether that figure would plateau or begin to drop would require further observation over the next couple of weeks, he said.
However, daily hospitalizations or deaths might continue to rise, as they are lagging indicators, he added.
The CDC reported 79,205 hospital visits for flu-like illness last week, 18 serious flu complications and four flu-related deaths, Guo said, adding that 15 serious cases and the four people who died had the influenza A (H1N1) virus.
CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said that the youngest flu-related death this flu season was an unvaccinated four-year-old boy in southern Taiwan, who developed a fever and cough, and was rushed to an emergency room after losing consciousness the next day.
He was admitted to an intensive care unit on the third day.
The boy was given anti-viral medication, but died of acute encephalitis on the seventh day after the onset of symptoms, Guo said.
Children are at higher risk of developing flu-associated neurological complications, so parents should pay attention to signs of encephalitis, such as unconsciousness and seizures, and seek medical attention immediately, he said.
The CDC also reported 13,065 hospital visits for enterovirus last week, slightly lower than the previous week, but still at a plateau, he said.
The second case of Japanese encephalitis this year was reported in Kaohsiung last week, he added.
Lo said that enterovirus infections are expected to remain at a peak throughout the month, before falling below the epidemic threshold at the beginning or middle of next month, while flu infections are expected to slightly increase in the next two weeks.
Lo said that 18 local cases of mpox were confirmed last week, the highest weekly number.
Most of the new infections were unvaccinated, so the CDC encourages about 26,000 people who are eligible for a second dose of vaccine to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
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