TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) explained on Monday (Dec. 12) that COVID-19 is petering out in Taiwan but cases may not significantly drop any time soon due to the lax pandemic control rules and a decline in immunity.

Taiwan recorded 10,824 local cases on Monday, up 6% from the same day last week. The number of new daily cases may continue to hover above 10,000 for some time and a rebound cannot be ruled out in the immediate future, according to the CECC.

Victor Wang (王必勝), head of the task force, provided two reasons likely contributing to the sustained momentum of the virus despite the bottoming out of the outbreak caused by subvariant BA.5, at a regular briefing.

The easing up of COVID-related restrictions has played a role in the community spread of the virus amid undisrupted chains of transmissions, he said. People are losing protection against the disease due to diminished immunity gained from vaccinations or previous infections, he added.

However, Taiwan saw its largest outbreaks occur while the mask mandate and other measures were in place.

Wang is calling on those eligible to seek booster shots as the next-generation vaccine doses are adequately available in all municipalities.

Taiwan scrapped outdoor mask mandates on Dec. 1 and the cap on passenger arrivals on Dec. 10 as the country eyes a return to normalcy. Many people, though, still wear a mask at all times, for reasons including to keep viruses and air pollutants at bay and simply as a habit, according to a TVBS survey.