Weekly flu visits top 100,000 as Taiwan nears epidemic threshold

Taipei, Sept. 1 (CNA) Taiwan is expected to enter the seasonal influenza epidemic period within the next two weeks after weekly outpatient and emergency visits for flu-like illness surpassed 100,000 for the first time this season, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Tuesday.

A total of 101,628 outpatient and emergency visits for influenza-like illness were recorded in the week of Aug. 23-29, up 5.6 percent from 96,199 the previous week, continuing a gradual upward trend, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said.

The CDC also reported 85 new severe influenza cases between Aug. 25 and Aug. 31, bringing the cumulative total for the current flu season, which started in October 2025, to 1,224.

Laboratory data indicates influenza A viruses remain dominant in Taiwan, with the H1N1 subtype accounting for 74.1 percent of detected influenza A cases, Lee said.

Among the cumulative severe cases, 64.6 percent involved people aged 65 or older, 82.8 percent had underlying chronic illnesses, and 69.4 percent had not received this season's influenza vaccine.

CDC spokesperson Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said influenza-related emergency visits accounted for 10.5 percent of all emergency department visits last week, approaching the 11 percent epidemic threshold.

Based on current trends, Taiwan is expected to enter the influenza epidemic period within the next two weeks, he said.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 activity continued to ease but remained at a relatively high level, with 21,969 outpatient and emergency visits recorded in the week of Aug. 23-29, down 13.4 percent from the previous week.

The CDC also reported 69 new domestic severe COVID-19 cases and 18 related deaths between Aug. 25 and Aug. 31.

Among the fatalities was a woman in her 40s from eastern Taiwan with cancer and chronic liver disease. CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said the woman's last COVID-19 vaccination was in 2022.

She was treated with antiviral medication after being admitted to an emergency department, where a chest X-ray showed pneumonia. She also had a low white blood cell count and elevated inflammatory markers, and died the following day.

With children going back to school, Lin Ming-cheng urged schools, parents and students to maintain good hand hygiene, observe respiratory etiquette, keep classrooms clean and well ventilated, and remain alert to the increased risk of respiratory disease transmission on campuses and in households.

The CDC said about 1.832 million COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered this season as of Aug. 30, with about 110,000 doses remaining nationwide.

Because of shelf-life limitations after thawing, this season's COVID-19 vaccination program will end on Sept. 9.

The CDC urged older adults and people at higher risk of severe illness to get vaccinated as soon as possible to reduce the risk of severe complications or death.