Taiwan reports no new COVID-19 cases Friday; total remains 440

ROC Central News Agency

05/08/2020 03:32 PM

Taipei, May 8 (CNA) Taiwan confirmed no new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, keeping the total at 440 since the pandemic began late last year, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

At a daily press briefing, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who also heads the CECC, said the lack of new cases meant that Taiwan has not had any domestically transmitted infections for 26 straight days since April 12.

"It seems that the epidemic is coming under control in Taiwan. However, we should still be vigilant and make disease prevention a part of our lives so that we can loosen restrictions at a faster pace," Chen said.

He reminded people to keep a distance from each other of 1.5 meters indoors and 1 meter outdoors and to continue to wear masks and wash their hands more frequently than usual.

To date, Taiwan has recorded 440 cases of the disease, 349 of which have been classified as imported and 55 as local infections, according to CECC statistics.

The remaining 36 cases originated from a cluster infection on a Navy vessel at sea that were reported beginning on April 18, but have yet to be classified as either local or imported infections.

To date, 355 COVID-19 patients in Taiwan have recovered, six have died, and the others are in the hospital, the CECC said.

Of the patients in the most critical condition last week, six were on respirators and two were receiving prolonged cardiac and respiratory support, CECC advisor Chang Shan-chwen (張上淳) said May 3.

Globally, COVID-19 has infected 3,875,316 people in 186 countries and regions, including 1,277,936 in the U.S., 221,447 in Spain, 215,858 in Italy, 209,444 in France, and 206,715 in the United Kingdom, with a total of 268,446 fatalities, according to CECC statistics as of Friday.

(By William Yen)

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