Taiwan confirms 240 new domestic COVID-19 cases, two deaths (update)
ROC Central News Agency
05/18/2021 07:28 PM
Taipei, May 18 (CNA) Taiwan on Tuesday confirmed 245 new cases of COVID-19 and two deaths, with 240 infections classified as domestic transmissions.
The two fatalities were a woman in her 60s, who worked in one of the COVID-19 hotspots in Taipei's Wanhua District, and a man in his 80s, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said, adding that they had both tested positive for the disease two days ago.
The man, who was a patient at Far Eastern Memorial Hospital in New Taipei, had multiple chronic health issues, including high blood pressure and diseases of the lung and liver, and had suffered strokes and heart attacks in the past, the CECC said.
He was listed as a contact in a COVID-19 case on May 14 and tested negative for the disease that day, but a second test on May 16 was positive, and he died in hospital the next day, according to the CECC.
His case was part of a cluster at Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, where eight patients, a caregiver and two nurses have been confirmed with the disease to date, the CECC said.
The woman, meanwhile, was tested on May 14 and the result came back positive on May 16. On Wednesday, she was found at her home with no vital signs, the CECC said, but declined to confirm whether she was the same person reportedly found dead in Wanhua by police.
According to local media, a woman in Wanhua, who tested positive for COVID-19 at a hospital, was sent home and was later found dead when her son called the police to say he could not contact her.
Since the first case was confirmed in Wanhua District on May 12, the number of infections reported in that community has climbed to over 600.
Meanwhile of the 240 domestic cases confirmed Tuesday, New Taipei reported the highest number, at 106, of which 33 were in Zhonghe District. Taipei had the second highest number, at 102, with 48 reported in Wanhua District.
Taoyuan reported 12 cases, Keelung three, Hsinchu County two and Hsinchu City one.
In central Taiwan, Changhua County confirmed 10 cases and Yunlin County reported one. Kaohsiung, in southern Taiwan, reported three cases.
The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said that of the 240 domestic cases, 128 were female and 112 male, ranging in age from under 5 to over 90.
Around 60 percent of the cases were linked to Taipei's Wanhua District. Two of the cases were linked to a local Lions Club International organization in New Taipei, two to a religious pilgrimage in southern Taiwan, and one to a cluster related to game arcades in Yilan County, the CECC said.
The CECC said it had found no apparent link between the existing clusters and 51 of the new cases and was still trying to determine whether 29 of the cases were part of the clusters.
Taiwan is in the midst of its worst COVID-19 outbreak since the pandemic began, with more than 1,000 domestic cases reported over the past week.
As part of its latest COVID-19 control efforts, Taiwan has closed it borders to all arrivals, except citizens and legal residents, and has decided to shut down schools from May 19-28.
Besides the 240 domestic COVID-19 cases confirmed Tuesday, Taiwan also reported five imported cases, from the Philippines, Indonesia and Kyrgyzstan.
To date, Taiwan has recorded 2,260 cases of COVID-19, with 1,121 classified as domestic infections. Of the total number of patients, 1,127 have recovered, 14 have died and 1,119 are active cases.
(By Chiang Yi-ching)
Enditem/pc
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