CORONAVIRUS/No new COVID-19 cases reported in Taiwan Wednesday

Taipei, June 3 (CNA) Taiwan reported no new cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus on Wednesday, leaving the total number of cases at 443 since the pandemic emerged late last year, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

Wednesday was also the 52nd consecutive day with no locally transmitted infections, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who also heads the CECC, said at a press briefing.

The last time Taiwan recorded a domestic infection was April 12, according to the CECC.

The government has been working with local industries and academia to develop vaccines and medicine to better contain the virus in case there is a future resurgence, the CECC said.

To date, 352 of Taiwan's 443 cases of COVID-19 have been classified as imported, while 55 are believed to be local infections, according to CECC statistics.

The other 36 cases were aboard a Navy vessel that was on a goodwill mission in the Pacific in March, a cluster infection that the CECC says originated in Taiwan.

The last time Taiwan recorded an imported infection was on Monday. The case was a woman in her 50s who went to the United States in March to work and returned to Taiwan Sunday.

To date, 428 COVID-19 patients in Taiwan have recovered, seven have died and the remainder are still in hospital, the CECC said.

Globally, COVID-19 has infected 6,358,642 people in 187 countries and regions, including 1,862,045 in the United States, 527,096 in Brazil, 423,741 in Russia, 277,985 in the United Kingdom and 239,932 in Spain, with a total of 378,941 fatalities, according to CECC statistics as of Wednesday.