By/Fresh from Traveler’s Sites
The Central Epidemic Command Center announced on the 16th that there were 2 newly confirmed COVID-19 (Wuhan pneumonia) cases in the country, bringing the total to 20; this also marks the first death of a confirmed case domestically.
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The first case is a man in his 60s from central Taiwan, who had a history of hepatitis B and diabetes, no overseas travel history, and was not a known close contact of any confirmed case. He developed a cough on January 27 and sought medical attention at a hospital on February 3 due to shortness of breath, where he was diagnosed with pneumonia. He was admitted to a negative-pressure intensive care unit that same day. The patient passed away on the evening of February 15 due to pneumonia complicated by septicemia. With the family's consent, his remains will be cremated in accordance with statutory infectious disease regulations, and some samples will be retained for further testing.
The second case is a man in his 50s and a family member of the first case. He tested positive yesterday and is currently asymptomatic, being treated in a negative-pressure isolation ward.
The Command Center stated that starting February 12, it has been conducting retrospective COVID-19 (Wuhan pneumonia) virus testing on all cases reported by medical institutions nationwide with severe influenza-like illness but negative influenza test results, backdated to January 31. As of February 15, testing of all 113 specimens has been completed, with this case being the only one that tested positive.
The Command Center has identified 79 close contacts of the first case, including family members who had been in contact after symptom onset and medical staff at the hospitals visited, as well as close contacts of the second case. So far, tests have been completed for 73 individuals (including 7 who showed symptoms), among whom 60 tested negative, 1 tested positive (Case 20), and the rest are still pending. The center will continue to carry out contact tracing, testing, and quarantine measures, while investigations into other contacts are ongoing. The hospital has implemented temporary restrictions at the ICU, allowing neither new admissions nor discharges.
Additionally, retrospective tracking and investigation are being conducted on the patient’s whereabouts and possible exposures during the 14 days prior to symptom onset, in an effort to identify potential sources of infection.
Moreover, starting today, the airport has expanded quarantine screenings for inbound travelers—anyone showing symptoms will be quarantined to prevent gaps in epidemic prevention.
355 cases confirmed on Diamond Princess cruise ship ! MS Westerdam docked in Kaohsiung on the 4th
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