• Military
• WMD
• Intelligence

• Security Menu                     

• Systems
• Industry
• Operations
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Space

COVID-19 cluster at three Taoyuan schools grows to 21 cases

ROC Central News Agency

02/28/2022 05:38 PM

Taipei, Feb. 28 (CNA) Taiwan recorded nine new domestic COVID-19 cases on Monday, of which seven were connected to a cluster infection in Taoyuan involving two elementary schools and a preschool, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

Cluster in Taoyuan

The first cases in the cluster of unknown origin were reported Saturday, comprising a father, mother, and their son, who attends Midi Preschool in Taoyuan.

The cluster grew by 11 cases on Sunday and another seven on Monday, bringing the total to 21, CECC data showed.

Patients in the cluster include children who attend Mi-Di Preschool, relatives of these children, including students at Guanyin Elementary School and Fulin Elementary School, a teacher at Fulin Elementary School, and a co-worker of one of the preschool children's relatives, CECC spokesperson Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said Monday.

The preschool and two elementary schools, all located in Taoyuan's Guanyin District, will hold classes virtually until March 11, according to the Taoyuan City government.

A COVID-19 testing station has been set up at Guanyin Elementary School, allowing nearby residents to get tested March 1-3, the city said.

Other domestic cases

The other two new domestic cases reported Monday were residents of New Taipei and Tainan, Chuang said.

One was linked to a cluster of unknown origin totaling eight cases to date, involving a New Taipei family, employees at a hotpot restaurant they dined at before testing positive for COVID-19, and family members of one of the restaurant's employees.

The other new case was connected to a different cluster of unknown origin totaling 15 cases to date, in which the first reported cases were related to a Kaohsiung family. The cluster also includes three employees at the Dalin Refinery Plant in the southern city.

Of the nine individuals reported Monday to have gotten COVID-19 in Taiwan, three had gotten either two or three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, one had one dose, and the other five were unvaccinated -- four of them children under the age of 10, according to the CECC.

There are currently eight clusters or individual cases with unknown origins in Taiwan being monitored by the CECC.

Imported cases

In addition to the domestic cases, Taiwan also reported 47 imported cases on Monday, 35 of them travelers who tested positive on arrival in Taiwan. The CECC did not release any information regarding the vaccination status of the imported cases.

To date, Taiwan has confirmed 20,489 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in early 2020, including 15,435 domestically transmitted infections.

With no deaths reported Monday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 fatalities in the country remained at 853.

(By Chiang Yi-ching)

Enditem/ls