Taiwan reports no new COVID-19 cases for 4th consecutive day

ROC Central News Agency

04/29/2020 04:31 PM

Taipei, April 29 (CNA) Taiwan on Wednesday reported no new COVID-19 cases for the fourth consecutive day and seventh time this month, with the total number of confirmed cases remaining at 429, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

It did not report any new cases on April 14, 16, 17 and 26-28 as well as March 8 and March 9, according to CECC statistics.

Of the 429 cases, 311 patients have recovered from COVID-19, four more than the previous day, while six have died from the disease, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said at the CECC's daily press briefing.

At present, seven COVID-19 patients are in intensive care units and on ventilators, said CECC advisor Chang Shan-chwen (張上淳), who added that a more detailed analysis on the conditions of COVID-19 patients in Taiwan will be released Saturday.

Meanwhile, with the approach of Labor Day weekend when many people are expected to travel within Taiwan, Chen urged everyone to continue observing proper personal hygiene practices and social distancing measures.

"People can be more relaxed, but they shouldn't let their guards down," Chen said.

According to CECC data, 343 of Taiwan's 429 cases have been classified as imported, while 55 are local infections.

The origin of another 31 cases that broke out through a cluster infection on a Navy vessel are still being investigated to determine whether they were local or imported infections.

As of Wednesday, 1,996 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, 461 have been tested for COVID-19, with 368 found to be negative and the results for the other 93 yet to come back, the CECC said.

The other 1,411 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 the time they spend in public, according to the CECC.

Globally, COVID-19 has infected more than 3.12 million people in 184 countries and regions, with the United States accounting for nearly a third of the cases, CECC data showed.

A total of 216,363 people have died from the disease, the CECC said.

(By Chiang Yi-ching)

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