Taiwan COVID cases remain flat for second week in a row
ROC Central News Agency
06/20/2023 05:12 PM
Taipei, June 20 (CNA) The number of serious COVID-19 infections in Taiwan remained high but stable for a second consecutive week, and is expected to remain at that level until the end of June, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Tuesday.
From June 14-20, Taiwan recorded a daily average of 253 moderate to severe COVID-19 cases, representing a 3 percent increase over the previous week's daily average of 245, the CDC reported at a press conference.
The number of COVID-19 fatalities, meanwhile, averaged around 30 per day from June 11-17, down from 35 per day in the previous seven-day period, the CDC said.
Of those who died of COVID-19 complications between June 11-17, 92 percent had a history of chronic illness, 61 percent had not received at least three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 96 percent were aged 60 or older, CDC data showed.
CDC Deputy Director General Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞) said the number of infections was expected to continue to plateau through the end of June, particularly given the increased risk of spread during the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival holiday weekend.
In light of that risk, the CDC has decided to continue requiring masks to be worn at medical facilities, such as hospitals, clinics and pharmacies, for the month of July, Lo said.
The CDC also reported Tuesday that around 79 percent of COVID-19 cases in Taiwan over the past four weeks were of the Omicron XXB subvariant.
According to the World Health Organization, XXB is also the dominant strain globally at present, accounting for 86.7 percent of total cases.
(By Shen Pei-yao and Matthew Mazzetta)
Enditem/AW
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