TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The COVID-19 strain involved in outbreaks at fruit and vegetable wholesale markets in Taipei City was the Alpha variant, not the more infectious Delta variant found in Pingtung County, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Tuesday (July 6).
Infections at the markets and in the southern region were therefore proven not to be related, CNA reported. The cases led to fears that Taiwan’s Level 3 COVID alert might have to be extended beyond the current July 12 end date, but as the daily number of new cases has since been falling, the CECC was predicting a relaxation of restrictions.
Over the past week, a Delta variant outbreak in Pingtung, linked to a grandparent and grandchild returning from Peru, and infections at the capital’s wholesale markets, provoked widespread unease. The two incidents triggered mass testing of residents and vendors to locate more infected people.
However, the CECC used genome sequencing to determine that the two cases were unrelated and that only the Pingtung outbreak was caused by the Delta variant. The latter resulted in 17 people testing positive for COVID.
