TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) confirmed 22,593 local COVID cases on Monday (Oct. 31), with 41 imported cases, and 59 deaths.
The number of local cases decreased by 14.2% compared to the same day last week, showing the pandemic is slowing down.
Philip Lo (羅一鈞), deputy head of the CECC's medical response division, reported that among 139 randomly sampled local cases last week, 96% were infected with Omicron BA.5 and 2% with BA.2. New variants — BF.7, XBB — were also detected among sampled local infections last week for the first time.
Lo confirmed the local case infected with XBB is a man in his 40s living in northern Taiwan, who had a three-dose regimen before his first infection in late August. The man reported no contact with anyone traveling to other countries recently, nor with other local infections.
The new variants — XBB, BQ.1, BQ.1.1 — were found among the sampled imported infections last week. Among the imported cases examined last week, BA.5 accounted for 54% of Taiwan's COVID-19 cases, while XBB and BA.2.75 made up 19%, respectively.
Lo said there were no new cases of children developing multisystem inflammatory syndrome after a COVID-19 infection.
Local cases
Local cases included 10,556 males and 12,026 females, ranging in age from under 5 to their 90s. Eleven cases are still under investigation.
New Taipei City reported 3,804 cases, 3,006 in Taichung City, 2,765 in Kaohsiung City, 2,567 in Taoyuan City, 2,025 in Taipei City, 1,929 in Tainan City, 1,265 in Changhua County, 693 in Pingtung County, 632 in Hsinchu County, 523 Yunlin County, 523 in Hsinchu City, 494 in Miaoli County, 419 in Chiayi County, 703 in Nantou County, 327 in Yilan County, 324 in Keelung City, 265 in Hualien County, 252 in Chiayi City, 121 in Taitung County, 101 in Kinmen County, 72 in Penghu County, and six in Lienchiang County.
Imported cases
The 41 imported cases included 17 males and 24 females, ranging in age from 10 to their 60s.
COVID deaths
The 59 deaths among local cases announced on Monday included 30 males and 29 females ranging in age from their 40s to 90s. All were classified as severe cases and 55 had a history of chronic disease. Among them, 44 had not received the third dose of a COVID vaccine.
A man in his 40s, who was diagnosed with diabetes and had not been vaccinated, was the youngest death recorded on Monday. In Taiwan, approximately 90% of the deceased after infection had multiple chronic or cardiovascular diseases.
Total COVID case statistics
Since the pandemic began, Taiwan has confirmed 7,712,726 cases, of which 7,676,284 were local and 36,388 were imported. So far, 12,831 individuals have succumbed to the disease, with 17 deaths reported among imported cases.
