Taiwan on Tuesday recorded the country’s first death from the highly contagious Omicron variant of COVID-19 along with 45 new COVID-19 cases, including five that were transmitted domestically, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

The death involved a Taiwanese woman in her 80s who suffered from chronic illnesses, including kidney problems that required dialysis, and was a contact of a person with a confirmed COVID-19 infection.

Because of the severity of her chronic ailments, she was isolated in a hospital on Jan. 10 after being identified as a contact of an infected person, and she tested positive for the Omicron variant on Jan. 19 before her quarantine period ended, the CECC said.

She died on Feb. 4.

Her death brought the total number of people who have died of COVID-19 in Taiwan since the pandemic began to 852.

In terms of new cases reported Tuesday, five were transmitted within Taiwan and 40 originated abroad, according to the CECC.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel