CORONAVIRUS/Taiwan's total COVID-19 cases top 9 million

Taipei, Jan. 6 (CNA) Taiwan's total COVID-19 cases surpassed 9 million on Friday as the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) reported 27,676 new COVID-19 infections and 62 deaths from the disease.

The new cases represented a 0.2-percent increase from the same day one week earlier, CECC data showed.

The deceased ranged in age from their 40s to their 90s. All but six had underlying health conditions, while 29 of them were unvaccinated against COVID-19, the CECC said.

Of the 27,676 new cases reported, 395 were contracted overseas, many involving travelers from China, where COVID-19 cases have surged.

All arrivals from China are currently required by Taiwan's government to take a saliva-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) COVID-19 test upon arrival, and isolate themselves for five days if they test positive for the disease.

Test results are usually not available until a day or two after their arrival, and it was not clear where the 395 individuals arrived from or when they arrived or tested positive because of the lag in the test results.

The CECC did say, however, that of the 1,200 travelers from China who entered Taiwan on Wednesday, 258, or 21.5 percent, had their PCR tests come back positive. Of those, 218 positive tests were from Taoyuan International Airport and 40 were from Taipei Songshan Airport.

Also on Friday, the CECC reported 127 new cases classified as moderate and 53 as severe.

Regional breakdown

Regionally, New Taipei recorded the highest number of new cases with 5,520, followed by Taichung with 3,606 and Kaohsiung with 3,066.

Taoyuan reported 2,984 new cases, Taipei 2,931, Tainan 2,221, Changhua 1,181, Hsinchu County 821, Hsinchu City 785, Miaoli 697, Pingtung 630 and Yunlin 508.

Chiayi County had 403 cases, Keelung 383, Yilan 379, Nantou 362, Chiayi City 265, Hualien 208, Taitung 134, Kinmen 125, Penghu 65 and the Matsu Islands seven, the CECC said.

To date, Taiwan has recorded 9,007,371 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in early 2020, including 42,024 classified as imported.

With the 62 deaths reported on Friday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 fatalities in the country rose to 15,445.

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Jan. 2: 28% of travelers from China COVID-positive on first day of border testing

Jan. 1: President Tsai offers to help China curb COVID surge in New Year address

Dec. 31: Ministry to pay family NT$300,000 for COVID-19 vaccine death

Dec. 28: Travelers from China to be subjected to saliva PCR tests at border

Dec. 23: Taiwan to relax quarantine regulations for incoming migrant caretakers 

Recent cases

Jan. 5: Taiwan reports 31,514 new COVID-19 cases, 45 deaths

Jan. 4: Taiwan reports 33,871 new COVID-19 cases, 17 deaths

Jan. 3: Taiwan reports 25,009 COVID-19 cases, 22 deaths

Jan. 2: Taiwan reports 16,602 new COVID-19 cases, 26 deaths

Jan. 1: Taiwan reports 25,270 new COVID-19 cases, 20 deaths

Dec. 31: Taiwan reports 25,755 new COVID-19 cases, 38 deaths

Dec. 30: Taiwan reports 27,413 new COVID-19 cases, 34 deaths

Dec. 29: Taiwan reports 27,413 new COVID-19 cases, 34 deaths

Latest COVID-19 rules

● Taiwan begins testing travelers from China for COVID-19

● Revised protocol for hospital visits from Dec. 10

● Taiwan to stop paying COVID medical fees for certain foreign nationals

● Taiwan to remove weekly arrival cap on Dec. 10

● Taiwan's eased mask mandate takes effect on Dec. 1

● Taiwan cuts COVID isolation to 5 days, lifts workplace vaccine mandates (Nov. 14)

● Taiwan to further ease border rules for China, Hong Kong, Macau residents

● Taiwan's new COVID-19 regulations taking effect Nov. 7

● Taiwan's updated COVID-19 protocols for arriving travelers from Oct. 13