CORONAVIRUS/Taiwan reports 933 new COVID-19 cases, including record 744 domestic

04/13/2022 05:56 PM

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Taipei, April 13 (CNA) Taiwan's Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said Wednesday the country is still at the start of the current wave of COVID-19 infections, after a record single-day high of 744 new domestically transmitted cases was reported that day.

"Cases are bound to continue rising," Chen said at the daily Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) press briefing.

"It is hard to predict when the number of cases will peak. Anything is possible."

Wednesday's 744 new domestic cases are the highest number recorded in a single day since the pandemic began in early 2020, breaking the previous high of 720 domestic cases set on May 22, 2021.

The previous single-day high for 2022 was 551 domestic cases, reported Tuesday.

The figures do not include imported cases reclassified as domestic ones, nor retroactively removed cases. As of April 13, Taiwan recorded 5,670 domestic cases in 2022, while the total number of imported cases rose to 9,266 from 2,375 on Dec. 31.

The domestic cases on Wednesday were spread across 19 of Taiwan's 22 cities and counties, with New Taipei reporting the highest number, 264, followed by Taipei with 141, according to the CECC.

Taoyuan reported 65 cases, Keelung 56, Kaohsiung 50, Hualien County 48, Hsinchu County and Taichung 23 each, Yilan and Pingtung counties 14 each, Tainan 12, Hsinchu City 11, Changhua County seven, and Taitung County four.

Miaoli County, Chiayi City, and Chiayi County recorded three cases each, Yunlin County recorded two cases, and Nantou County one.

Of the 4,932 domestic COVID-19 cases recorded nationwide from Jan. 1 to April 12, 16 were classified as moderate infections and two as severe, while the rest, accounting for 99.64 percent of the total, were either mild or asymptomatic, Chen said.

Taiwan added three new patients with moderate illnesses on Wednesday, all in their 80s with chronic illnesses who received either two or three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, Chen said.

The patients tested positive between April 7 and April 11, and are currently in a stable condition and being treated at local hospitals, according to Chen.

1. More doses of the Moderna and Pfizer-BNT vaccine have been administered in Taiwan than the government has officially received because recipients of the Moderna booster shot are given half the standard dose of the first and second jab, while medical workers can sometimes get more than the standard number of shots from a Pfizer-BNT vial. 2. Information about the booster dose and additional dose can be found at https://t.ly/4ZuW

Meanwhile, Taiwan recorded 189 new imported cases on Wednesday, of which 95 were travelers who tested positive on arrival in the country.

To date, Taiwan has confirmed 29,593 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began, including 20,273 domestically transmitted infections, according to CECC data.

With no deaths reported Wednesday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 fatalities in the country remained at 854, the data showed.

(By Chiang Yi-ching)

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