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Taiwan reports 11 new COVID-19 cases; Taipower cluster grows to 3

ROC Central News Agency

08/18/2021 05:32 PM

Taipei, Aug. 18 (CNA) The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Wednesday reported 11 new COVID-19 cases, including a pregnant woman who works at the headquarters of state-run Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower).

Of the 11 cases, six were domestically transmitted and five contracted overseas, Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said at the CECC press briefing.

Four of the domestic cases were reported in Taipei and two in New Taipei, of which two had a known source of infection and four were being investigated, Chen said.

 

Among the domestic cases reported Wednesday was the third in a cluster at Taipower headquarters, which is located on Roosevelt Road in Taipei, Chen said.

The first COVID-19 case at the building was recorded in late July, and the second tested positive on Aug. 11.

On Aug. 16, a third employee, a woman in her 30s who works on the same floor as the second patient, tested positive. The woman is pregnant and received her second dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on Aug. 13, just one day before showing symptoms of the disease, according to CECC spokesperson Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥).

So far, the woman has only experienced mild symptoms, including a cough, itchy throat, and a distorted sense of taste, Chuang said.

She cannot be categorized as a breakthrough infection, as those cases refer to people who become infected with COVID-19 at least 14 days after becoming fully vaccinated, Chuang said.

A Taipower spokesperson told CNA that around 300 employees who work on the same floor as the two most recent COVID-19 cases or are listed as key personnel have received polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the disease.

Those employees have been instructed to work from home for the time being, the spokesperson said.

Another 2,000 employees who work at the building will receive a rapid COVID-19 test on Wednesday, the spokesperson said, with half in this group working from home as well.

 

The five imported cases reported Wednesday, meanwhile, involved three Taiwanese nationals, a French national and a Saint Kitts and Nevis national who traveled to Taiwan from the United States, Saudi Arabia, India, and France, according to the CECC.

To date, Taiwan has confirmed a total of 15,891 COVID-19 cases, of which 14,323 are domestic infections reported since May 15, when the country first recorded more than 100 COVID-19 cases in a single day.

With no new deaths reported for four consecutive days, the number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the country remained at 821, with all but 12 recorded since May 15, CECC data showed.

(By Chiang Yi-ching)

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