Recent travelers to Taiwan who have tested positive for COVID-19 have been carrying at least three different variants of the virus. That’s the word from Lo Yi-chun, an official at the Central Epidemic Command Center.
The center announced on July 2 that it would carry out genetic sequencing to determine what variants of COVID-19 international travelers are carrying into Taiwan. But officials say sequencing is only possible for people who test positive with a Ct value of less than 27, meaning the person has a larger viral load.
Results from the first full week of sequencing show three cases of the Delta variant, first detected in India. The travelers carrying the variant arrived from the UK and Indonesia. Officials say all three went through quarantine in government facilities, meaning there is little to no risk of community transmission.
Another traveler from Cambodia tested positive for the Alpha variant, which scientists first detected in the UK. Alpha is the variant of COVID-19 currently circulating in Taiwan. However, center officials say sequencing shows that the recent traveler from Cambodia was carrying a slightly different version of the variant.
Finally, authorities say they uncovered one case of the Gamma variant, first detected in Brazil, in a child traveling from the United States.