Department of Sports, Taipei City Government

The Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 14 imported case for Taipei City on January 11. Comprising 7 men and 7 women, the patients’ age ranges from under 10 years old to over 70 years old.
 
According to the agency, the new cases arrived from the following countries: US (cases 17508, 17515, 17516, 17517, 17540, 17556, 17558, and 17559), Canada (case 17509), UK (case 17510), Turkey (case 17511), Brazil (case 17539), Qatar (case 17555), and Holland (case 17538). These patients were identified either upon arrival or during quarantine, and have all been relocated to hospitals for isolation.
 
The city government also announced 3 new domestic COVID cases on the same day. Among these, two are nurses working at a hospital in Taipei City (case 17570 of Taipei City with CT value of 13 and case 17571 of New Taipei City with CT value of 15). Case 17572 of New Taipei City (with CT value of 29) is on the contact-tracing list for case 17570. As of noon January 11, a total of 25 hospital staff and cleaning crew members have been placed in isolation. A total of 88 people on the contact-tracing list have been tested, resulting in 86 negatives. Two people are still awaiting their results.
 
Case 17570 has been working at the designated COVID-19 ward of the hospital since January 3 and produced a negative test result on January 7. However, signs of fever began to appear on January 10, leading to positive result on a subsequent test and hospitalization. Cases 17571 and 17572 were close contacts and later tested positive.
 
In light of this development, DOH decided to strengthen preventative measures at hospitals:

1. Exit-only policy effective for COVID wards;
2. Increased test frequencies for hospital staff, patients, and ward environment;
3. Implementation of segregating staff, ward, and patients to minimize the possibility of transmission;
4. Strengthen good practices for prevention among medical staff;
5. Disinfection of wards and public areas, and
6. Speed up booster shot administration for hospital workers.

 
Three individuals who reside with case 17571 tested negative. Two of these individuals attend elementary school in Datong District. As a preventative measure, the school cancelled classes for January 11 and 12. A total of 57 students and faculties are slated for testing.
 
A total of 4 colleagues of case 17572 (who works at a catering business in Xinyi District) and 6 people on the contact list were also tested. Customers who visited the restaurant up to 3 days before the tested-positive date received notice for testing, and the store will be closed for 14 days.  
 
DOH also published the travel record of cases 17570 and 17572. Public venues on the list include: subway ride from MRT Beimen Station to MRT Yongan Market Station (afternoon of January 5); Marusake Izakaya (evening of January 6); and Walden II (January 7 through evening of January 9).
 
Given the recent spike in imported COVID cases, all hospital workers, quarantine hotel staff, and quarantine taxi drivers should strengthen monitoring of their own health by checking temperature on frequent basis and taking note of symptoms such as fever, diarrhea, respiratory problems, or abnormality with smell or taste. They should also get vaccinated (primary or booster shot) as soon as possible.
 
Those with suspicious symptoms should visit any of the 7 local hospitals that offer COVID testing: Taipei City Hospital Heping, Zhongxing, Renai, Yangming, and Zhongxiao branches, as well as Guandu and Wanfang hospitals.