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COVID-positive Taipei woman not tested or quarantined for 4 months

Symptomatic contact of confirmed cases may have exposed community to virus for many months

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CECC Spokesman Chuang Jen-hsiang

CECC Spokesman Chuang Jen-hsiang (CNA photo)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) is calling for an investigation after local health authorities apparently failed to test and quarantine a symptomatic woman tied to confirmed cases.

During a press conference on Friday, CECC Spokesperson Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) announced that case No. 16,227 is a woman in her 20s who was tested for the virus because she was accompanying a hospital patient. She tested positive for COVID-19 on Sept. 17 and eight people have been listed as contacts, all of whom have entered home isolation.

Chuang stated that a CECC investigation revealed that two of the woman's family members and her boyfriend tested positive for COVID-19 back in May. However, despite having such a close relationship with confirmed cases, she was not listed as a contact.

In addition, Chuang said that in May she experienced cold-like symptoms. In spite of her close contact with confirmed cases and suspicious symptoms, she was never subject to testing or quarantine.

Chuang said that she has a Ct value of 33, indicating that she has been infected with the virus for quite some time. He said that more PCR and antibody tests will be carried out on the woman and the list of her contacts will be expanded.

He called on local health authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into why she was never subject to epidemic prevention protocols. There are concerns that the many months she went without being detected could have exposed many people to the virus.