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CECC disputes Malaysia's claim of imported COVID-19 case from Taiwan

ROC Central News Agency

08/17/2020 05:54 PM

Taipei, Aug. 17 (CNA) A Malaysian man who recently tested positive for COVID-19 after returning home from Taiwan most likely did not contract the virus in Taiwan, as claimed by the health ministry in his country, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Monday.

The man, identified as a 33-year-old Malaysian citizen, left Taiwan on Aug. 2, flying to Kuala Lumpur via Hong Kong, and tested negative for COVID-19 on arrival in his home country, according to the CECC.

On Aug. 13, however, the man was tested again, a few days before his mandatory quarantine period was due to end, and the test came back positive, after which the Malaysia Ministry of Health listed the case as imported from Taiwan, the CECC told CNA.

At a press conference in Taipei on Monday, CECC spokesman Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said it was unlikely that the man had contracted the disease in Taiwan.

Chuang said the man's wife, who is in Taiwan, received the PRC and antibody tests for COVID-19, which were both negative on Aug. 15.

"What is clear to me is that his wife is his closest contact, and she tested negative, so it is unlikely that he became infected in Taiwan," Chuang said.

Four other people, who were close contacts of the man, have also been tested and are now awaiting the results, Chuang said, adding that a more definitive conclusion will be reached when those results become available.

The CECC has been in contact with the patient, who said that he had spent most of his time at home in the month prior to his departure from Taiwan, according to Chuang.

Meanwhile, the CECC has advised Malaysian health authorities to test the man again, because the cycle threshold (CT) level of his COVID-19 test was 37.93, which is considered a weak positive, Chuang said.

In Taiwan, a positive case is one that tests at a CT level of 35 or under.

Meanwhile, the CECC on Monday reported one new COVID-19 infection in Taiwan, saying it was an imported case from the United States.

The patient is a Taiwanese teenager who lives in the U.S. and returned to Taiwan on Aug. 5 to visit relatives, Chuang said.

She had no symptoms on arrival in Taiwan or during the time she was in quarantine at the hotel, but after she was tested on Aug. 15, it came back positive Monday, Chuang said.

"She had no symptoms, so we are trying to determine why the local health authorities had her tested," Chuang said, adding that the teenager is now in quarantine in hospital.

The latest imported case brought the total number in Taiwan to 485, of which 393 have been classified as imported, the CECC said.

To date, 450 COVID-19 patients in Taiwan have recovered, and seven have died, while the others are in hospital, the CECC said.

Globally, COVID-19 has infected 21,674,407 people in 187 countries and regions, with a total of 770,907 fatalities, according to CECC statistics as of Monday.

(By William Yen)

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