Taiwan reports 24,325 new COVID-19 cases, 73 deaths

ROC Central News Agency

07/17/2022 03:43 PM

Taipei, July 17 (CNA) Taiwan reported 24,325 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, all but 129 of which were domestic infections, and 73 deaths from the disease, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

The individuals whose deaths were reported Sunday ranged in age from their 30s to over 90. Thirty-seven of those who died were unvaccinated, while 71 had chronic illnesses or other severe diseases, the CECC said.

The two who had no chronic illnesses or severe diseases had been unvaccinated, it said.

Also on Sunday, the CECC said that 72 previously reported COVID-19 cases had become severe, while 84 other individuals had developed moderate symptoms.

Among them were five children, one of whom was diagnosed with bronchiolitis, while the other four developed multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), the CECC said.

The 9-month-old boy with bronchiolitis has no known chronic illnesses, the CECC said. On July 11, he tested positive for COVID-19 and was hospitalized with symptoms that included shortness of breath, vomiting, and lethargy, the CECC said.

The child is still in hospital, in an intensive care unit (ICU), the CECC said.

One of the children diagnosed with MIS-C is a 1-year-old boy who tested positive for COVID-19 on June 20, according to the CECC. He had a fever on and off, for more than three weeks, as well as diarrhea, and was admitted to a hospital on July 8, it said.

He was diagnosed with a Salmonella infection and MIS-C but is now in stable condition in hospital, the CECC said.

In one of the other MIS-C cases, the 3-year-old boy tested positive for COVID-19 on June 21, and he developed a fever, cough, stomach ache, and chest rash on July 11, according to the CECC.

Three days later, he was admitted to hospital and was found to have mild pneumonia and a buildup of fluid in the space around his heart, the CECC said, adding that he is currently in an ICU.

The third MIS-C case is a 4-year-old boy who tested positive for COVID-19 on June 16 and developed a fever, cough, sore throat, rash, bloodshot eyes, and swollen lymph nodes on July 8.

He was taken to the doctor on July 10 and was found to have a weakened heart muscle and low blood pressure, the CECC said, adding that he is currently in hospital.

The fourth MIS-C case is an 11-year-old girl who is unvaccinated, the CECC said. She tested positive for COVID-19 in late May and developed a fever and swollen lymph nodes in her neck on July 2. She was hospitalized on July 11 and is still there receiving treatment, the CECC said.

To date, 103 children under the age of 13 years have developed severe COVID-19, and 22 of them have died, according to CECC data.

Of the 4,209,619 domestic cases reported in Taiwan this year, 8,492 have been classified as severe infections, and 10,719 as moderate, accounting for 0.20 percent and 0.26 percent of the total, respectively, according to CECC data as of July 16.

In all other cases, the infected individuals were either asymptomatic or had mild symptoms, the CECC said.

Of the 24,204 domestic cases reported Sunday, New Taipei had the highest number, with 4,112, followed by Taichung with 3,065, and Taoyuan with 2,607.

Kaohsiung recorded 2,538 cases, Taipei 2,401, Tainan 1,779, Changhua County 1,193, Pingtung County 771, Miaoli County 654, Yilan County 648, and Hsinchu County 634.

Yunlin County reported 627 cases, Hsinchu City 604, Nantou County 425, Hualien County 415, Chiayi County 393, Keelung 385, Taitung County 295, Kinmen County 244, Chiayi County 235, Penghu County 142, and the Matsu Islands 29.

To date, Taiwan has recorded 4,264,788 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in early 2020, including 4,248,415 domestic infections.

With the 73 deaths reported Sunday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 fatalities in the country rose to 8,176.

(By Chiang Yi-ching)

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