TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — While the world continues its battle against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), the H1N1 flu virus has taken nine more lives in Taiwan over the last week, including a 29-year-old woman who died 10 days after her infection.
During Tuesday's (Feb. 25) press briefing, the Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said that Taiwanese hospitals and clinics have received 52,135 patients with flu-like symptoms, a 14.7 percent decline from the previous week. The total infection number was also the lowest for this amoung of time in the last five years.
Regarding the nine individuals who lost their lives to the H1N1 virus, CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said that the youngest patient was a 29-year-old woman who had suffered from diabetes and hypertension before also contracting the flu. Lin said that the woman, who had not received a flu vaccine, developed a fever at the beginning of the month and lost her liver function halfway through her treatment at the intensive care unit, reported ETtoday.
Lin said that the drastic changes in temperature Taiwan has been experiencing as of late can contribute to the spread of the seasonal flu and suggested people tend to their personal hygiene at work and at home. He urged the public to wash their hands diligently and avoid visiting crowded areas as ways of preventing the H1N1 flu and COVID-19, reported the Liberty Times.