By / HowToTrip Fresh Report
Two new domestic COVID-19 cases have been confirmed, bringing the recent total to three sporadic community infections. The source remains difficult to trace, but all identifiable close contacts must be promptly tracked and monitored.
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Epidemic control efforts must continue, with no decline in mask-buying crowds.
The two newly confirmed COVID-19 (Wuhan pneumonia) cases in China (Taiwan) are an elderly man in his 80s (Case 27, the index case) and a man in his 50s (Case 28), who are father and son.
Case 27 is a dialysis patient with chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes, and has no recent travel history abroad. On February 6, he developed symptoms including coughing and a runny nose. On February 9, he was admitted to a single-patient room for treatment after developing a fever and being diagnosed with pneumonia. On February 16, he experienced shortness of breath and was transferred to the ICU. On February 20, he was moved to a negative-pressure isolation ward due to suspected tuberculosis and was reported as a COVID-19 case on February 21. His test results came back positive today.
Health authorities have isolated and tested contact persons showing suspected symptoms. During the epidemiological investigation, it was found that Case 28 had exhibited symptoms such as fever, a runny nose, and a sore throat on January 31. He sought outpatient treatment on February 4, and visited the emergency room on February 8 due to persistent fever, where he was diagnosed with pneumonia. He then returned home for self-health management and had two follow-up visits on February 11 and 18. He was reported and isolated for testing on February 21, and also tested positive for COVID-19 (Wuhan pneumonia) today. Since Case 28 and Case 27 lived together during the day, it is determined that this is a case of close-contact transmission within a family cluster.
The command center has initially identified 115 hospital staff members who had contact with Case 27. Forty have been tested so far, and further investigations, tracking, testing, and isolation measures will continue. Current findings indicate that Case 27’s younger son frequently traveled to Wuhan, China, for work, with his last trip returning from Guangzhou to Taiwan on December 2, 2019. He also dined with friends who had travel history to China during the Lunar New Year period. The source of infection is under investigation. The command center will continue retrospective tracing of the case’s activities and possible exposures in the 14 days prior to symptom onset.
For the northern family cluster related to Case 24 of COVID-19 (Wuhan pneumonia), a total of 533 contacts have been identified. Among them, 194 have been tested—2 tested positive (Cases 25 and 26), 173 tested negative, and the rest are pending results.
As of February 22, the command center reported 33 new severe pneumonia with novel pathogens cases in China (Taiwan) (including 19 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship repatriation flight), bringing the cumulative total to 2,035 cases. This includes 28 confirmed cases (with 2 new domestic cases today: Cases 27 and 28), 1,935 cases ruled out, and the remainder undergoing isolation and testing (54 with initial negative results, others pending).
Among the confirmed cases, 1 has died, 5 have been discharged (Case 12 was discharged on February 22), and the rest remain hospitalized in isolation.
According to data released by China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention and provincial/municipal health commissions, a total of 76,936 cases have been confirmed across all 31 provinces, municipalities, and regions on the Chinese mainland (excluding Hong Kong and Macau SARs), marking an increase of 648 from the previous day. This includes 10,968 severe cases, 2,442 deaths.
Internationally, there are 1,766 confirmed cases across 30 countries/regions. The highest numbers are: Japan’s Diamond Princess cruise ship with 619 cases (including 5 from Japan), South Korea with 556, Japan with 135, Singapore with 89, and Hong Kong with 69. Among the deaths, Iran has reported 6, South Korea 4, and 2 each on the Diamond Princess, in Italy, and in Hong Kong, plus 1 each in France, Japan, and the Philippines.