Taiwan reported 85,720 local COVID infections on Friday. The total represents a small decline from the day before, and case counts are down in all cities and counties. Even so, health minister Chen Shih-chung says it''s too soon to tell if the current COVID wave has reached its peak. On Friday, the health chief reported 49 COVID-related deaths, with nearly half of them involving unvaccinated people. Once again, he called on the public to get their booster shots once they''re eligible.

Philip Lo
CECC medical response division
Today we’re adding 237 new moderate or severe cases. Among the 49 deaths, 48 involved people with chronic disease.

Since January, there have been 2,261 people with moderate or severe cases of COVID. Taiwan has seen a total of 431 COVID-related deaths.

Philip Lo
CECC medical response division
For example, among patients in their 70s, 1.3% developed moderate or severe symptoms. Among patients in their 80s, that figure was 4.7%. The mortality rate for the nation overall is 0.04%. But for patients in their 90s, it’s as high as 2.7%.

On Friday, the mortality rate for severe COVID cases exceeded 80% for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Most of the deaths have involved patients aged 70 and up. Once again, the CECC urged older adults to get boosters to strengthen their defenses against COVID. Incentives for vaccination are available until the end of May.

Chen Shih-chung
CECC head
Adults who are 65 and older, as well as Indigenous people 55 and older – if you’re eligible for a shot, you will receive a gift worth up to NT$500.

Turning to medical capacity. Nearly 50% of beds are vacant at dedicated COVID care wards, according to official data shared by Dr. Su Yi-fong. Writing on social media, the doctor said the rate was high because the CECC had added hospital beds. However, the CECC has not added hospital staff at the same pace, he says, blasting the figures for being misleading. The health minister pushed back at the charge on Friday.

Chen Shih-chung
CECC head
I think it’s very inappropriate for this doctor to say this. How should manpower be allocated? Our hospitals are very capable of managing this issue. Amid this epidemic, everyone is doing their best to meet the demand for medical care.

Philip Lo
CECC medical response division
Generally speaking, our medical capacity is not quite at the brink of collapse. We never said it was like that – that it’s very crowded outside emergency rooms and people are kept waiting a very, very long time in long lines. We didn’t say it was like that.

To slow the spread of the virus, schools in all cities and counties except Matsu have been shifting their students to distance learning. In New Taipei, students in the seven urban districts will undergo distance learning for five days, starting next Monday.