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10 Omicron transmission chains detected in Taiwan

Evergreen Resort Hotel Jiaoxi in Yilan, Grand Hotel in Taipei cluster infections latest Omicron transmission chains

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Philip Lo. (CECC photo)

Philip Lo. (CECC photo)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Wednesday (Jan. 26) confirmed that there are 10 independent transmission chains of the Omicron variant in Taiwan.

During a press conference on Wednesday, the CECC announced that in addition to the two main Omicron cluster infections at the Farglory Free Trade Zone (FTZ) in Taoyuan City and the Port of Kaohsiung, genetic sequencing revealed that the clusters involving the Grand Hotel chef in Taipei/real estate executive and the Evergreen Resort Hotel Jiaoxi in Yilan County came from different sources of the Omicron variant. It now appears that there are 10 different transmission chains of the Omicron variant in the country.

Philip Lo (羅一鈞), deputy head of the CECC’s medical response division, explained that genetic sequencing of samples from the Evergreen Resort Hotel and the Grand Hotel clusters found that the version of Omicron found in those cases was different each other and from those found at the Taoyuan Airport and in Kaohsiung. He pointed out that the three hospital Omicron clusters at Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, Taipei City Hospital Zhongxing Branch, and Taipei City Hospital Renai, are also completely independent of each other and the other clusters, bringing the total to seven chains of transmission.

The three other transmission chains include an epidemic prevention staff member at the Taoyuan Airport, case No. 17,928, a quarantine taxi driver in Taoyuan, case No. 17,240, and a quarantine taxi driver in Keelung, case No. 18,020, all of whom were infected through routes not tied to the above-mentioned cluster infections.

Lo said that the Omicron clusters with the largest number of cases in the country are the Taoyuan Airport Farglory FTZ and the Port of Kaohsiung clusters.