TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Kaohsiung on Wednesday (Feb. 9) announced a new cluster infection involving four people, and its source is unknown.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said that there are four new COVID cases in the city, including three cousins from the same family who ate and played games together during the Lunar New Year. The fourth is the girlfriend of one of the cousins (Taiwan's COVID case No. 19,380), with the cluster source currently unclear.
Chen said that the first infection (case No. 19,382), a male elementary school student, was taken to a clinic after he began experiencing a fever and other suspicious symptoms. After a rapid antigen test came back positive for COVID, he was referred to a hospital for a PCR test, which confirmed the infection.
Testing of family members revealed that two male cousins had also contracted the disease. According to Kaohsiung Department of Health specialist Pan Chao-ying (潘炤穎), case No. 19,382 lives in Dashu District and had lunch with his father in Renwu District at noon on Feb. 4 before going to his maternal grandparent's house in Nanzih District that evening for dinner.
After the boy tested positive for COVID, 12 family members and friends who took part in the family lunch in Renwu District were tested, but their results all came back negative.
A total of 17 who attended the family dinner in Nanzih District were tested. Of these, two tested positive: a cousin in his 20s (case No. 19,380) and a cousin in his teens (case No. 19,381).
Although the three cousins had not been sitting right next to each other during the meal, they played mobile games and poker for nearly two hours in a room about three ping (1 ping equals 3.3 square meters) in size afterward. Only one of four who participated in the games did not test positive.
Case No. 19,380 had a dinner party with five friends on Feb. 6. His girlfriend (case No. 19,401) later tested positive.
The Kaohsiung health department announced that the cases had recently visited the E-DA Outlet Mall, Ambassador Theatre, and Carrefour.