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Taiwan reports 16 new COVID-19 cases, confirms six Omicron cases

ROC Central News Agency

12/27/2021 04:53 PM

Taipei, Dec. 27 (CNA) Taiwan reported 16 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, all contracted overseas, and confirmed six previous cases as Omicron variant infections, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

The new cases were 15 Taiwanese and one foreign national, who traveled to Taiwan from the United States, Vietnam, Hungary, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Germany and Indonesia, the CECC said.

They tested positive either upon entry to Taiwan or before completing the mandatory quarantine required for all arrivals, according to the CECC.

One of the new cases is a member of a 22-person group of Taiwanese nationals that traveled to Kazakhstan to participate in the 2021 Asian Karate Championships, CECC official Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞) said.

Since returning on Dec. 24, 12 members of the team have tested positive for COVID-19, Lo said.

Two have been asymptomatic so far, while the other 10 have had mild symptoms, such as a fever, runny nose, fatigue, and a sore or itchy throat, Lo said, adding that genome sequencing is underway to determine which variant of the COVID-19 virus they have been infected with.

The CECC will hold a meeting over the next two days to review disease prevention measures taken by Taiwanese athletes competing in international tournaments, including whether or not they should be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before traveling, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said.

Also on Monday, the CECC confirmed that six previously reported COVID-19 cases were Omicron variant infections, bringing the total in the country to 34.

All 34 individuals tested positive either upon entry to Taiwan or during quarantine, and have all been classified as breakthrough infections, Lo said.

None of them have severe cases of the disease, with some showing only mild symptoms and others being asymptomatic, Lo said.

Taiwan reported its first case of the Omicron variant on Dec. 11.

To date, Taiwan has confirmed 16,931 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in early 2020, of which 14,436 are domestic infections reported since May 15, 2021, when the country first recorded more than 100 cases in a single day.

Daily domestic case numbers have fallen to mostly single digits or zero since Aug. 15. Ten such cases have been reported in December so far, including seven linked to cluster infections at quarantine hotels in Taipei and Taoyuan.

With no deaths reported Monday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the country remains at 850, with all but 12 recorded since May 15. Taiwan last reported a death related to COVID-19 on Dec. 19, according to the CECC.

(By Chiang Yi-ching)

Enditem/AW