Laos, Vietnam, and China have each reported one case of COVID-19 linked to people who had recently been in Taiwan.
The patient in Laos is a Laotian student who had been in Taiwan since February. Before departing Taiwan, he was tested for COVID-19, with a negative result. On August 11, he returned to Laos, with a layover in South Korea. After arriving, he was tested again, and this time, the results came back positive. The patient is asymptomatic.
In Taiwan, health authorities have begun tracing the student’s recent contacts. So far, three have been told to quarantine at home and are being tested for COVID-19, while another five are being told to monitor their health. Health authorities will investigate places off campus where the student had recently been and determine who else he may have come into contact with.
The patient in Vietnam is a Vietnamese migrant worker who had been employed in northern Taiwan. He returned to Vietnam on August 7, and tested negative for COVID-19 on arrival.
He was kept in quarantine with two others who had recently arrived from countries other than Taiwan. The other two fell ill and tested positive for COVID-19, and the man soon became sick as well. The man was also tested on August 17, and the results have come back positive.
Both Taiwan Central Epidemic Command Center and local authorities in the area where the Vietnamese patient had worked have launched an investigation in order to identify any recent contacts the man may have had in Taiwan.
China has not yet responded to Taiwanese requests for information about the Chinese case, which was reportedly recorded in Shanghai. However, Taiwanese health authorities have begun to piece together details of the case with the help of the patient’s Taiwanese friends. Health authorities will also conduct a further investigation into this case and identify the patient’s recent contacts in Taiwan.