TAIPEI, Jan 10 — Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) reported 25,063 new COVID-19 infections Tuesday, including 560 cases classified as contracted overseas, and 26 deaths from the disease.
According to the CECC, the 560 cases represented the highest number of imported cases reported by Taiwan in a single day since the pandemic broke out in 2020, largely reflecting the surge in cases involving people entering Taiwan from China.
The total number of cases represented a 0.6-percent decline from the same day a week earlier, reported Taiwan’s Central News Agency citing CECC.
The deceased reported on Tuesday ranged in age from their 50s to their 90s. All but two had underlying health conditions, while 14 were unvaccinated against COVID-19, the CECC said in a press release.
Meanwhile, the CECC said 16.3 percent (or 226) of the 1,386 travelers arriving directly from China on Jan 8 tested positive for the disease, as did 15.1 percent (or eight) of the 53 travelers who went from Xiamen to Kinmen and Matsu.
The CECC has released daily statistics on the percentage of arrivals from China who test positive for COVID-19, but those figures do not directly correspond to the number of imported cases reported daily because of lags in reporting and compiling test results.
Also on Tuesday, the CECC reported seven new cases classified as moderate and 24 as severe.
Regionally, New Taipei recorded the highest number of new cases with 4,759, followed by Taichung and Kaohsiun with 3,207 and 2,997 cases respectively, according to the CECC.
Taipei reported 2,719 new cases, Taoyuan (2,335), Tainan (1,990), Changhua (1099), Hsinchu County (695), Miaoli (671), Pingtung (660) and Hsinchu City (592).
Yunlin reported 544 new cases, Nantou (394), Chiayi County (383), Keelung *(356), Yilan (346), Chiayi City (272), Hualien (175), Kinmen (119), Taitung (116), Penghu (69) and the Matsu Islands five cases, the CECC said.
To date, Taiwan has recorded 9,097,554 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in early 2020, including 43,563 classified as imported.
With the 26 deaths reported on Tuesday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 fatalities in the country rose to 15,608.
