CECC looking into 3 COVID-19 cases that Taiwan may have exported
ROC Central News Agency
08/19/2020 06:09 PM
Taipei, Aug. 19 (CNA) The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) was unable to offer much insight Wednesday into three COVID-19 cases detected in nearby countries that may have originated in Taiwan, but said it was checking their contacts in Taiwan.
Three people who had been in Taiwan recently tested positive for the novel coronavirus after arriving in Laos, Vietnam and China (Shanghai), where the cases were labeled as "imported" from Taiwan.
As with other similar cases, the CECC has not accepted that designation, but Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who also heads the CECC, said Wednesday the center is looking into the cases.
Laos reported the confirmed imported case of COVID-19 from Taiwan through the National Focal Points for International Health Regulations, Chen said, and it involves a Laotian man in his 30s who arrived in Taiwan on Feb. 15 for a study program.
The man was tested for COVID-19 at his own expense on Aug. 10 as he prepared to return to Laos, and the result came back negative. He departed from Taiwan on August 11, and after transiting through South Korea arrived in Laos on Aug. 12 when he was tested for the disease again.
The result came back positive on Aug. 13, Chen said.
According to Chen, the man did not report any discomfort when in Taiwan and after returning home.
The CECC has so far located eight people who came in contact with the man, and they will be tested to see if any of them were infected.
On the Vietnam case, Chen said the CECC had obtained information on the individual through Taiwan's representative office in the country.
It involves a Vietnamese national in his 40s who was working in northern Taiwan before flying to Vietnam on Aug. 7.
He tested negative for COVID-19 at the airport upon arrival before being transported to a Vietnamese government-run quarantine facility, where he was put in a room with two other people, according to Chen.
The two roommates -- one a Vietnamese returning from the United States and the other a Vietnamese coming back from Japan -- both showed symptoms on Aug. 12 and were later confirmed to have COVID-19, Chen said.
The Vietnamese migrant worker from Taiwan began experiencing COVID-19 symptoms such as a fever, a sore throat and abdominal cramps and tested positive for COVID-19 on Aug. 17, Chen said.
The CECC and local health authorities have launched an investigation into the case and are tracing those who might have come in contact with the migrant worker.
Regarding the Shanghai case, Chen said the CECC has not yet received information from China. Friends of the individual in Taiwan have contacted the CECC and provided some details, but the CECC still wants to consult with China to investigate further.
The case involves a Chinese national who left Taiwan on Aug. 14 and arrived in Shanghai the same day. He showed symptoms after being sent to a collective quarantine center in the city and was reported to have the virus on Tuesday.
As of Wednesday, Taiwan had reported 486 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began late last year. No new cases were reported Wednesday.
(By Chang Ming-hsun and Evelyn Kao)
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