TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Thursday (March 24) announced that there were 13 new local COVID cases detected in the city.

During a press conference that morning, Chen said that the first case detected in the outbreak was case No. 22,394, a woman in her 40s. Although a rapid antigen test came back negative, a PCR test came back positive with a Ct value of 23.3.

Ten contacts from her workplace and two family members who live with her have also since tested positive for COVID. An epidemiological investigation is being carried out to determine the source of the infections.

Chen said that after case No. 22,394 was diagnosed on Wednesday (March 23), the Kaohsiung Department of Health immediately generated a list of her workplace and family contacts.

The city has classified the 13 cases as part of a workplace cluster infection. Chen said that one of case No. 22,394's infected family members is a student at a local high school, where 33 classmates and nine teachers have already been tested for the virus and received negative results.

Chart showing 13 cases in cluster infection. (Kaohsiung City Government image)