Taiwan reports no new COVID-19 cases for 3 consecutive days

ROC Central News Agency

04/28/2020 04:18 PM

Taipei, April 28 (CNA) Taiwan on Tuesday reported no new cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus for the third consecutive day and sixth time this month, with the total number of confirmed cases remaining at 429, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

On April 14, 16, 17, 26, and 27 Taiwan had no new cases of COVID-19, nor did it report any on March 8 and March 9, according to CECC statistics.

At the CECC's daily press briefing in Taipei, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the CECC, said 307 patients have recovered from COVID-19, while the death toll is six.

Taiwan has been successful in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and not had to impose a strict lockdown, Chen said, adding that such success requires the cooperation of everyone in the nation.

As the pandemic is not yet over around the world, he urged everyone to habitually observe proper personal hygiene, wear masks, and adhere to social distancing.

"The more we keep these habits up, the better our lives will be," Chen said.

To date, Taiwan has recorded 429 cases of the disease, 343 of which have been classified as imported and 55 as local infections, according to CECC statistics.

Another 31 cases in a cluster from a Navy vessel are still being investigated to determine whether they were local or imported infections.

As of Tuesday, 1,916 people had been listed as having come into contact with the 31 confirmed cases in the Navy cluster, of which 585 are in home isolation, the CECC said.

Among those in home isolation, 321 have been tested for COVID-19 and 254 found to be negative, the CECC said.

The other 1,331 contacts have been asked to practice "self-health management," which means wearing a mask at all times, recording their temperature twice a day, and minimizing time spent in public, according to the CECC.

Taiwan's success in combating COVID-19 has attracted the attention of United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar II, who held a bilateral virtual meeting with Chen Monday to discuss the need for Taiwan's inclusion in the World Health Organization, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare that same day.

During the meeting, Azar praised Taiwan on its COVID-19 containment, while both sides exchanged COVID-19 prevention strategies and shared their views regarding global health security and other key health issues, the statement said.

Globally, COVID-19 has infected 3,072,806 people in 184 countries and regions, including 1,000,612 in the United States, 228,460 in Spain, 199,414 in Italy, 196,069 in France and 157,149 in the United Kingdom, with a total of 210,351 fatalities, according to CECC data as of Tuesday.

(By William Yen)

Enditem/AW