Taiwan reported 211 deaths from Covid-19 on Saturday as cases rebounded from a days-long decline . Health authorities said the island had 79,598 new cases, 446 of which were severe, after a steady easing from more than 80,000 on Tuesday, ending at roughly 68,000 on Friday. Central Epidemic Command Centre spokesman Chuang Jen-hsiang said the rebound was partially due to a system error because some of the new cases on Saturday should be included in Sunday’s report. The Covid-19 patients who died were aged from 30 to above 90, and 141 of them had yet to receive their third booster vaccine dose. Most of the deceased suffered from chronic illnesses. Five children, aged two to 10, were also being treated for complications related to the coronavirus, including persistent fever, vomiting and diarrhoea. The centre urged the public to get fully vaccinated, wear masks, reduce unnecessary movement and activities, and avoid crowded or high-risk areas. Taiwan has been grappling with a surge in cases since the end of April. Chuang said this week that the new case numbers could drop below 10,000 by the end of June but they were not likely to fall below 1,000 a day by then. Li Bingying, convenor of the health ministry’s Advisory Committee on Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, previously told BaoDao Radio that the wave may peter out by September, with no large-scale community infections by then. According to the Taiwan Centres for Disease Control, the island will gradually start to open up its borders and relax restrictions on June 15. From Wednesday, those arriving in Taiwan need to quarantine for three days and take self-prevention measures for four days. During these four days, they must show a negative antigen test taken within 48 hours to leave home, with no need for further self-monitoring. Arrivals must also have a nucleic acid test result taken within the previous two days and a PCR test upon arrival. Furthermore, arrivals can be picked up by friends and family, and are no longer required to take designated disease-prevention vehicles. The government will allow 25,000 arrivals per week, and will open up to connecting flights. Taiwan’s outbreak last year was brought under control with tight border restrictions and quarantine rules. But the government said in May it would move away from its zero-tolerance policy and gradually ease restrictions because the Omicron variant – though highly infectious – is milder than previous strains. The command centre said 99 per cent of cases reported this year involved mild or no symptoms.
