Flu cases in Taiwan expected to peak around Mid-Autumn Festival: CDC

Taipei, Sept. 15 (CNA) Taiwan's flu epidemic continued to rise last week, with more than 130,000 outpatient and emergency visits for influenza-like illness recorded, and is expected to peak around the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Tuesday.

A total of 136,796 outpatient and emergency visits for influenza-like illness were recorded from Sept. 6-12, up 16.5 percent from the previous week, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said at a regular briefing.

Laboratory surveillance showed influenza A viruses remain dominant in the community, with the A(H1N1) subtype accounting for 82.2 percent of detected cases, Lee said.

The CDC reported 92 new severe influenza cases and 21 deaths between Sept. 8 and Sept. 14, bringing the cumulative number of severe cases since Oct. 1 last year to 1,421, Lee said.

CDC spokesperson Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said the 21 flu-related deaths reported last week marked the highest weekly total in five years. He forecast the outbreak would peak around the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, with outpatient and emergency visits expected to reach 150,000 to 160,000.

Among severe cases, 65 percent involved people aged 65 or older, 82.7 percent had underlying health conditions, and 68.3 percent had not received the most-recent flu vaccine, Lee said.

One newly reported severe case involved a 1-year-old boy in southern Taiwan who developed influenza A-associated encephalitis or acute brain swelling. The child, who had no underlying conditions and had received two flu vaccine doses last year, was hospitalized after developing fever and cough and is now conscious and in stable condition, CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's COVID-19 epidemic continued to ease, though it remained in the epidemic period. The CDC recorded 17,847 outpatient and emergency visits for COVID-19 from Sept. 6-12, down 13.3 percent from the previous week, while 53 new severe cases and 18 deaths were reported between Sept. 8 and Sept. 14.

Since Oct. 1 last year, Taiwan has recorded 675 locally acquired severe COVID-19 cases, including 124 deaths. Among the severe cases, 73.3 percent involved people aged 65 or older, 82.8 percent had underlying health conditions, and 83.6 percent had not received the most-recent COVID-19 vaccine, the CDC said.

The CDC said the main COVID-19 variants circulating in Taiwan over the past four weeks were NB.1.8.1 and PQ.16.1.1.