LanguageCoronavirus News
Taiwan reports 3 new coronavirus cases, all from 'Goodwill Fleet'
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Tuesday (April 21) announced that there were three new cases of Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the total from the "Goodwill Fleet" to 27, and 425 overall.
During his daily press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) announced that there were three new cases, all from Taiwan's ill-fated "Goodwill Fleet" (敦睦, Dunmu). Chen said that the latest cases included two men and one woman, all three of whom tested negative, before being confirmed with the disease after the second test.
Chen said that the latest cases ranged in age between 20 and 30 years. Chen confirmed that all three were trainees and sailors from the fleet.
According to Chen, case No. 423 was a male trainee in his 20s. On March 30, he began to notice a loss of his sense of smell and taste.
Because he stayed in the same cabin as case No. 396 and 397, he took the initiative to report to the local health department on April 18 and sought medical attention. The first test administered to the man came back negative, but after submitting to a second test on April 20, he was confirmed with the disease on April 21.
Case No. 424 is a female sailor in her 30s. On April 5, she reported symptoms of dizziness, nasal congestion, headache, and abnormal olfactory function.
However, her symptoms improved during the voyage. Upon her return, and after initially testing negative for the virus, she was placed in a quarantine center on April 18.
After she underwent a second test on April 20, she tested positive for the disease on April 21. Case no. 425 was a male sailor in his 20s.
On March 23, he began to experience a runny nose, fever, and headache. On April 18, he was taken to a quarantine center, where he was tested for the disease.
His first test result came back negative, but his second test revealed on April 21 that he does indeed have the disease.
The CECC said that out of the 27 sailors in the "Goodwill Fleet" cluster event, 349 contacts have been traced by the health department. Of those persons, 187 are undergoing home isolation, while 162 have implemented self-health management.
The center will continue to trace the activities of the infected sailors in public places after disembarking from their ships and publish them on the internet. Chen reminded the public that if they found that they had been to the same places at the same time as the confirmed cases, they should undergo self-health management for the next 14 days.
Those who feel unwell are advised to call the toll-free disease prevention hotline at 1922. The center also recommends that when seeking medical attention, patients should proactively inform doctors of their travel history and all persons they recently came into contact with.
(Data source:Taiwan News)