Sixteen of the 17 new domestic cases reported in Taiwan Monday have been linked to known cluster infections, but the source of one case reported in Kaohsiung remains unclear, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

Since 10 of the 17 new cases tested positive after they were placed in quarantine after being listed as close contacts of other recently confirmed cases, the spread of COVID-19 in Taiwan is still under control, said CECC spokesperson and Centers for Disease Control Deputy (CDC) Director-General Chuang Jen-hsaing (???).

Nine of the new cases were reported in Kaohsiung, including the one of unknown origin — a male in his teens who traveled back to his family in the southern city from New Taipei last week, and the source of his infection is being investigated, Chuang said.

The other eight cases in Kaohsiung include five linked to the cluster infections related to the Port of Kaohsiung, where the number of cases has now risen to 86, while three are believed to be part of the cluster in southern Taiwan that first began in a hotel in Yilan County, according to Chuang.

In Taoyuan, the number of domestic cases recorded this year climbed to 296, including seven reported on Monday, according to the CDC website.

The seven cases have been linked to various infections previously confirmed in the city, where the first domestic case of the ongoing wave of mainly Omicron variant cases was reported on Jan. 3, according to the CECC.

Monday’s remaining case was recorded in Taipei, and has been connected to a cluster involving a real estate agent, Chuang said.

Eleven of the new cases were classified as breakthrough infections, one had received one dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, while three individuals, including one under the age of 10, had not received any vaccine doses. The vaccination status of two cases is still being looked into, the CECC said.

In addition to the domestic cases, Taiwan also reported 38 imported cases on Monday, 20 of whom were passengers who tested positive upon arrival in Taiwan on Sunday. The other imported cases entered Taiwan as early as Jan. 14, according to the CECC.

The CECC did not release any information regarding the vaccination status of the imported cases.

To date, Taiwan has confirmed 18,790 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in early 2020, including 15,065 domestically transmitted infections.

The number of locally transmitted infections jumped from 10 in December to 465 in January, while 1,296 imported cases have been recorded during the first month of 2022, according to the CECC data.

With no deaths reported on Monday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the country remains at 851. The most recent fatality linked to the disease was reported on Jan. 13.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel