Text/reporting by Scenic Spots Home Fresh
Due to a recent increase in Japan of cases with unknown sources of infection, suggesting possible hidden community transmission, the Central Epidemic Command Center announced that starting today, the travel health notice level for Japan has been raised to Level 1 Watch, and the public and tourists should follow general local preventive measures.
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Lily Beach (Photo / Yoron Island Tomokazu Association)
Meanwhile, Henan and Zhejiang provinces in mainland China have both reported over a thousand COVID-19 (Wuhan pneumonia) cases, with signs of difficult-to-control community transmission. In Zhejiang, cases have shifted to being predominantly locally transmitted, while Henan has seen family clusters and suspected asymptomatic carriers. Therefore, starting February 15, these two provinces have been classified as Level 1 epidemic areas. In addition to these two, Hubei and Guangdong provinces have already been listed as Level 1 epidemic areas, while other provinces and cities in mainland China (including Hong Kong and Macau) are classified as Level 2 epidemic areas.
There were 38 new reported cases of severe pneumonia with novel pathogens in Taiwan, bringing the total number of reported cases to 1,753, including 18 confirmed, 1,654 ruled out, and the rest under isolation and testing (48 initially tested negative, the others pending). Apart from the first confirmed case, who has been released from isolation, the other 17 cases are in stable condition and remain hospitalized in isolation. Currently, 354 close contacts of confirmed cases are under home quarantine, 19 of whom have shown symptoms and been reported (13 tested negative and were ruled out, 6 are pending test results). Additionally, among the group of Taiwanese businesspeople who returned from Wuhan on the evening of February 3, apart from the case confirmed on February 4, two are still hospitalized in isolation, while the other 244 are under close health monitoring at a centralized quarantine facility.
According to data released by China's Centers for Disease Control and reports from health commissions across provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions, there have been a cumulative total of 63,670 confirmed infection cases across all 31 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in mainland China (excluding the Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions), an increase of 4,909 from the previous day, with at least 1,370 deaths. Excluding Taiwan, there have been 565 confirmed international cases across 26 countries/regions; the highest numbers are on international transport vessels (218 cases on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan), Singapore (58), Hong Kong (53), Thailand (33), and Japan (30). Among these cases, three deaths have been reported—one each in Japan, Hong Kong, and the Philippines.
The situation onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Yokohama, Japan, is also drawing significant attention. An 85-year-old elderly passenger has been confirmed positive and was disembarked for medical treatment. The Diamond Princess previously docked at Keelung Port in Taiwan on January 31, and following the subsequent cluster infection incident of COVID-19 (Wuhan pneumonia) on the ship, the Central Epidemic Command Center announced on the 14th that the self-health observation period for individuals who visited key scenic spots in the northern, central, and Keelung areas on or before January 31 has now ended.
In addition, Okinawa Prefecture confirmed one new case on February 14—a woman in her 60s, a taxi driver, who has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. She had transported passengers from the Diamond Princess on February 1, and this is currently the most likely source of her infection. This development is bound to cause concern among travelers planning to visit Japan or Okinawa in the near future about potential additional risks.