UPDATE with two more Omicron cases.
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwanese woman in her 30s returning from Eswatini was Taiwan’s first case of COVID-19’s Omicron variant, but later Saturday (Dec. 11) the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said a traveler from the United States and one from the United Kingdom had also been diagnosed with the new strain.
The variant, which was first discovered in South Africa, has caused alarm due to its alleged higher contagiousness and potential resistance to existing vaccines. However, opinions are still divided about how dangerous it might be.
Case No. 16,829 had originally been identified as an arrival from South Africa, but further research showed she had traveled from Eswatini, Taiwan’s only diplomatic ally in Africa, CNA reported.
She had received one AstraZeneca dose and one Moderna shot and arrived in Taiwan on Dec. 8, according to the CECC. She showed no symptoms of COVID, and the 10 passengers in the rows in front of and behind her tested negative for the virus while in quarantine.
Both other cases were also breakthrough cases, having been inoculated with two BioNTech doses each, CNA reported. They suffered from a dry throat and a stuffy nose.
Case No. 16,804 was a Taiwanese woman in her 30s who arrived from the United Kingdom on Dec. 7, with tests showing a positive result with a Ct value of 21.6 the following day. Her 12 fellow passengers were transferred into quarantine but had tested negative upon entering the country, the CECC said.
The other new Omicron case was Case No. 16,818, a U.S. man in his 20s. He arrived in Taiwan on Dec. 8, and his test results obtained on Dec. 9 showed him to be positive for COVID with a Ct value of 26. A total of 10 fellow passengers had tested negative for the virus when arriving in Taiwan.
The announcement of the two additional Omicron cases came just two hours after the news that the Taiwanese woman who had visited Eswatini was Taiwan’s first incidence of the COVID variant.
