Taiwan is closely monitoring a cluster of 13 COVID-19 cases centered on pilots from Taiwan’s national carrier – China Airlines. The cluster includes the first domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases in two-and-a-half months.
The two newest cases, announced on Wednesday, are family members of a pilot who tested positive for antibodies. That’s in addition to the wife and son of a different China Airlines pilot, who tested positive on April 20 while in Australia.
A string of COVID-19 cases involving China Airlines cargo pilots emerged this week, beginning with an Indonesian pilot working with the airline who tested positive on April 20 while in Australia. This past week, a total of nine China Airlines cargo pilots have tested positive.
They include two Indonesian pilots who visited a mosque together in Taipei, two Taiwanese pilots who flew to the US together, and five other Taiwanese pilots.
The Central Epidemic Command Center has since conducted COVID-19 tests on all of China Airlines’ 1,279 pilots. Over 900 have also undergone antibody tests. Six have tested positive for antibodies so far, but not all of those who have antibodies have tested positive for COVID.
Taiwan is monitoring the contacts of these pilots, and of the family members who are among the first domestic cases in Taiwan in more than two months.
China Airlines is also working on vaccinating all of its pilots as soon as possible.