Taiwan racked up 15 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday. The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) says that 11 of those cases are imported.
Officials say the other four cases are related to a chain of infections among pilots at the national carrier China Airlines. They say three are local transmissions, while the fourth case is still under investigation.
One of the new domestic cases is a man in his 40’s who worked as a driver for the airport hotel where CAL pilots were in quarantine. He shared a vehicle with two other hotel employees who were confirmed with COVID-19 on April 30. The man was himself in quarantine when he tested positive.
The other two local transmissions are family members of a China Airlines pilot who was confirmed with COVID-19 on April 26. The two went into quarantine on the same day, and tested positive at the end of their quarantine period.
The pending case is a China Airlines pilot in his 40’s. Health authorities are still working to determine the source of his infection. They say he came in contact with another pilot, but that he was already exhibiting symptoms at that point. Authorities have followed up with 26 contacts of this latest pilot to be confirmed with COVID.
Taiwan’s current caseload sits at 1,199. So far, more than 30 people have been diagnosed with COVID in connection to the outbreak at China Airlines.