Taiwan’s imported case count has set a new daily high for the year. The CECC reported 21 imported cases, including five fully vaccinated Bangladeshi nationals. All five tested negative for COVID during quarantine. After completing quarantine, they lived briefly in a dorm in Taichung before being tested again this Monday, just before a work assignment. This time, they tested positive.

Chen Shih-chung
CECC
There are many imported cases today. There are 21, which is the most so far this year. They are eight men and 13 women. There’s one case that flew in from Belize, two from the U.S., 10 from Indonesia, one from Vietnam, five from Singapore, and one each from Cambodia and the Philippines. They arrived in Taiwan between Oct. 29 and Dec. 5.

Philip Lo
Deputy chief of CECC’s medical response division
Among our 21 imported cases, nine are workers from Indonesia. Five are Bangladeshi crew members who flew in from Singapore. After they tested positive last night, they were moved to a hospital for isolation and treatment. At present, four of them have tested negative again, while one is still testing positive. But their CT values are relatively high, ranging in the ballpark of 29 to 33. Currently we believe that these are old cases. These five crew members all tested negative during quarantine, at the beginning and the end. Then after completing seven days of self-health management, they were tested again at their own expense just before a work assignment. Given their low viral load, we would say that these cases do not pose a significant threat to the community.

The Taichung City health bureau has released a list of places visited by the crew members during self-health management. They include a PX Mart in Wuqi District and another in Qingshui District. Officials say that all cases are currently asymptomatic, and that they all wore face masks out in public.