News
Recovered Covid patients exempt from contact listing
The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) says people who have recovered from Covid are now exempt from any contact listing for three months after they first test positive.
The change in protocol for recovered patients means if they come into contact with an infected person, they will not have to follow isolation or self-health monitoring regulations.
Health officials say the protocol was changed after research showed Covid immunity lasting for at least three months after an infection.
Data shows that over the last two years, there have been just over 450 confirmed reinfections in Taiwan.
This comes as the CECC reported 90,378 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday. It was the first time the daily caseload has surpassed 90,000 and brought the total number of domestic cases since the pandemic began to over 1 million.
Of the latest cases, 90,331 were domestic infections. New Taipei continued to report the highest number of domestic cases, with nearly 25,000. That was followed by Taoyuan with 13,827, Taipei with 12,060, Taichung with 7,444, and Kaohsiung with 6,576 cases.
Health officials also say 191 previously recorded infections have now developed into severe or moderate cases. Aside from this, public health officials are also reporting 59 deaths. The patients were in their 30s to 90s and all but one of them had chronic illnesses or suffered from severe diseases. 31 of them were unvaccinated. The number of coronavirus-related deaths here in Taiwan since the pandemic began now stands at 1,235, 341 of which have been recorded this year.
In other Covid news, some branches of Watsons and Hi-Life stores will begin selling coronavirus oral rapid tests today. Hi-Life says it will begin limited sales of 30,000 G-mate saliva rapid test kits at some 1,500 of its stores that are licensed to sell pharmaceutical products. The tests will cost NT$175 each, and they will be limited to five per customer.
Watsons says it will also sell the G-mate brand of saliva rapid tests at NT$175 each, at 100 of its stores, which can be identified via its website.Meanwhile, the President Chain Store Corporation says it's expanding sales of its current nasal rapid tests beyond the four cities in northern Taiwan where they are currently available.The company currently sells the rapid tests at 7-Eleven and Cosmed stores only in Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung, and Taoyuan, but from today the nasal swab tests will be available at more than 6,000 7-Eleven stores and around 400 Cosmed islandwide. Customers will be limited to one test each per day, at a price of NT$180.
