38 new COVID-19 deaths reported: CDC

Taipei, June 17 (CNA) The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recorded 38 COVID-19-related deaths and 144 severe domestic cases over the past week, as the ongoing outbreak remains intense.

The deaths, reported between June 10 and 16, mark the highest weekly toll so far in 2025, while the 66,951 cases reported from June 8 to 14 represent a 6.2 percent decrease from the previous week, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Kuo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said at a regular press briefing in Taipei on Tuesday.

Among the 38 deaths was the youngest COVID-19 fatality of the year -- a man in his 20s with no underlying health conditions but a childhood history of meningitis, according to CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青).

The man received three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine in 2022 but had not received further boosters. He developed a persistent fever and nausea in late May and showed no improvement after seeking medical attention, Lin said.

He was hospitalized at the end of May with symptoms including weakness in all four limbs and drowsiness. Doctors suspected a central nervous system infection and transferred him to intensive care, administering antibodies and antitoxins.

The man was later diagnosed with COVID-19 and encephalitis, which led to kidney and coagulation dysfunction, followed by multiple organ failure before his death in early June, about two weeks after the initial symptoms appeared, Lin said.

CDC spokesperson Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞) said the current outbreak, which began on May 25, is expected to remain at a plateau until the week of July 27 to Aug. 2. The CDC projects a total of 420,000 cases during this wave.

According to the CDC, over 80 percent of recent domestic fatalities had not received the JN.1 COVID-19 vaccine. The agency urged people aged 65 and over to get vaccinated as soon as possible, and reminded those who have received one dose to get a second shot at least two months after the first.