Enterovirus cases cause 192 class suspensions in 1st week of school year: CDC

Taipei, Sept. 18 (CNA) A total of 192 classes in Taiwan were suspended in the first week of the new school year due to enterovirus cases, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Wednesday.

Of the 192 classes suspended from Sept. 1 to Sept. 7, 147 were in kindergartens, six in elementary schools, and 39 in infant daycare centers, CDC Deputy Director-General Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞) said, adding that the number of suspended classes was slightly lower than the same period last year.

From Sept. 8 to Sept. 14, a total of 14,598 individuals infected with enterovirus visited emergency or outpatient departments, marking a 0.7 percent increase compared to the previous week and the highest number of cases recorded in the same period over the past five years, according to the CDC.

Lo said that the spread of enterovirus in Taiwan is currently in a plateau phase, predicting that the number of cases will significantly decline after late September, with the numbers dropping below the epidemic threshold of 11,000 cases by mid to late October.

Meanwhile, the CDC announced that this year's COVID-19 and flu vaccines will be available starting in October, with a two-phased rollout.

The first phase will kick off on Oct. 1, and individuals including those aged 65 and over, healthcare workers, and preschool children will be eligible for both shots, the CDC said.

The second phase will begin on Nov. 1, allowing all individuals six months and older to receive a COVID-19 vaccine shot, while those aged between 50 to 64 will also be eligible to get a flu jab.

Before Wednesday's announcement, the CDC detailed a plan in July to purchase 5.5 million doses of the Moderna monovalent JN.1 COVID-19 vaccine after the World Health Organization and countries such as the United States and Japan recommended COVID-19 vaccines targeting the JN.1 variant.

Apart from the 3,843 contract medical institutions offering COVID-19 vaccines, flu vaccines, or both vaccines from October, Lo said that 74 PX Mart locations across Taiwan and two RT-MARTs -- one in Taipei's Neihu District and one in Kaohsiung's Fengshan District -- will also offer vaccinations starting from November.