TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Thursday (Jan. 12) announced that over 2,000 passengers arriving from China over a period of 10 days tested positive for COVID, which represented nearly 17% of arrivals from China, while the first case of BQ.1 imported from China was reported.

CECC spokesperson Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) pointed out that out of the 1,948 passengers who arrived from China on Jan. 10, 1,713 tested negative for COVID, while 235 tested positive, representing 12.1%. As for the 88 passengers from China who entered Kinmen and Matsu on Jan. 10, 13 tested positive, accounting for 14.8% of arrivals from China.

Head of the CECC Victor Wang (王必勝) announced that from Jan. 1-10, a total of 13,481 passengers arrived from China at Taoyuan Airport (11,403), Songshan Airport (1,629), Taichung Airport (1), Kaohsiung Airport (138), and Kinmen Shuitou Pier (296), and Matsu Nangang Fu'ao Pier (14). Of these passengers, 2,004 tested positive for COVID, representing 16.9% of inbound passengers from China.

Wang observed that the 16.9% positivity rate was slightly lower than the 19% reported on Monday. He said that the center will continue to monitor the situation and determine whether this downward trend in positive cases will continue.

As for Omicron subvariants detected, Wang said that genetic sequencing on imported cases from China from Jan. 1-7, revealed that 60.2% were infected with BA.5, 38.9% had contracted BF.7, and one case was detected with BQ.1, the first imported from China. Wang said that thus far, the center has not detected any new, unknown variants of COVID arriving from China.

Numbers of passengers and positive cases arriving from China at 5 ports of entry from Jan. 1-10. (CECC image)