Once again, Taiwan has tightened its eligibility requirements for COVID-19 hospital admissions. Effective immediately, only moderate or severe COVID cases will be admitted to hospitals. Patients in high-risk groups will no longer be admitted automatically. Instead, they can choose to isolate at enhanced quarantine facilities or quarantine hotels with easy access to hospitals. Let’s hear from the CECC.
Philip Lo
CECC medical response division
High-risk patients include adults aged 70 and up, patients aged 65 to 69 who live alone, pregnant women in their 36th week or beyond, infants with a fever who are under 3 months old, and infants with a fever of at least 39 degrees, who are between 3 and 12 months old. People in this group can get a medical assessment. If they are suitable for home care, then they can stay at home. If not, they will be transferred to enhanced quarantine centers or quarantine hotels. Over this past weekend, ahead of this policy change, we asked the hospitals in charge of the enhanced quarantine centers and hotels to create a “green corridor” that enables fast hospitalization if needed. This corridor can be used by pregnant women who go into labor during the observation period, or for infants whose symptoms worsen. They can access medical care quickly through these corridors. Quarantine centers will have medical staff on duty offering the required medical care. If the patients are deemed eligible for oral antivirals, the quarantine center or hotel will be able to provide them with the medication.
On Tuesday, the CECC reported 65,794 local cases, along with 38 COVID-related deaths. Among the deaths, 37 were patients with a history of chronic disease and 18 were unvaccinated. Seventeen were over the age of 80. The youngest casualties were two unvaccinated women in their 30s who had a history of cancer.