CORONAVIRUS/No new COVID-19 cases in Taiwan for 3 straight days

Taipei, May 10 (CNA) Taiwan confirmed no new cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus for the third consecutive day on Sunday, keeping the total at 440 since the pandemic began late last year, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

At a daily press briefing, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the CECC, said it was also the 28th straight day that no domestically transmitted infections had been recorded in Taiwan.

"Today is also Mother's Day, and I hope the 28 straight days of zero domestic infections will be a gift to all the mothers in the world," Chen said.

He warned, however, the public should stay vigilant and make sure that disease prevention remains a part of their daily lives, for everyone's safety.

Chen also thanked everyone in Taiwan for their hard work, which he said had made it possible for the country to contain the virus.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 disease late last year, Taiwan has recorded 440 cases, 349 of which have been classified as imported and 55 as local infections, according to CECC statistics.

The other 36 cases are in a cluster infection on a Navy vessel that returned April 9 from a Pacific goodwill mission, and those cases have not yet been classified as either local or imported, CECC data showed.

To date, 366 COVID-19 patients in Taiwan have recovered, six have died, and the others are in hospital, the CECC said.

Among the patients in critical condition, three are on respirators and one is receiving prolonged cardiac and respiratory support, CECC advisor Chang Shan-chwen (張上淳) said Saturday.

Globally, COVID-19 has infected 4,055,894 people in 186 countries and regions, including 1,331,569 in the United States, 223,578 in Spain, 218,268 in Italy, 215,260 in the United Kingdom, and 211,704 in France, with a total of 278,282 fatalities, according to CECC statistics as of Sunday.