TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — COVID-19 patients under 80 years old with mild symptoms will be denied hospital admission in Taiwan, effectively from Wednesday (May 4), Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) head Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) announced at a briefing.



Given the sharp increase in new cases and since the Omicron variant mostly has no symptoms or mild symptoms, the new hospital admission rule was made to ensure the country’s hospitals maintain sufficient capacity to treat moderate and severe COVID-19 cases, CNA cited Chen as saying.

In addition to moderate and severe cases, who still need to be treated at hospital, adult patients with no symptoms or mild symptoms aged 80 and over, as well as women 35 weeks pregnant, should also be admitted to hospital for treatment.

Asymptomatic children, newborns under 3 months with a fever, and newborns between 3 and 12 months old with a high fever (39 degrees Celsius) should also be admitted to hospital if their doctors deem it necessary for them to receive hospital treatment, Chen continued.

If adult patients who do not need to be hospitalized but are not eligible for home care, including those aged 70-79, and aged 65-69 but living alone, women less than 35 weeks pregnant, should stay in quarantine centers or quarantine hotels, Chen added.

(CECC images)