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Taiwan confirms 312 new domestic COVID-19 cases (update)

ROC Central News Agency

05/21/2021 09:25 PM

Taipei, May 21 (CNA) Taiwan on Friday reported 315 new cases of COVID-19, of which 312 were confirmed as domestic infections, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

The new cases included 144 in New Taipei, with 37 reported in Banqiao District; and 127 in Taipei, 60 of which were in Wanhua District, said Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中).

Thirteen cases were confirmed in Taoyuan, nine in Keelung, and five each in Taichung and Changhua, said Chen, who heads the CECC.

In addition, four cases were reported in Kaohsiung, two in Yilan, and one each in Pingtung, Nantou and Yunlin, he said.

Of the total, 73 cases were linked to a cluster involving hostess teahouses in Wanhua, while another 107 patients had recently visited that area, according to Chen.

CECC advisor Chang Shan-chwen (張上淳), meanwhile, said the number of COVID-19 patients suffering from serious symptoms have been steadily increasing.

Forty-one are now on ventilators and three others are on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), he said.

To minimize the death toll, Chang said patients suffering from respiratory complications due to COVID-19 are typically given corticosteroids, while monoclonal antibodies treatment also significantly mitigates the risk of death.

According to CECC official Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞), there are 1,013 negative pressure isolation rooms across Taiwan, of which about 600 of them are used to treat critically ill patients, and they can be found in many mid- to large-scale hospitals.

At present, 363 of these sick beds are currently available, Lo said.

At the press event, Chen also said the government will continue to distribute N95 masks and other protective gear to medical workers across the country.

Meanwhile, the new imported cases on Friday consisted of one each from the United States, Canada and the Philippines, the CECC said.

To date, Taiwan has recorded a total of 3,139 COVID-19 cases, of which 1,824 have been domestic infections confirmed in the last seven days, according to CECC data.

(By Matthew Mazzetta and Ko Lin)

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