Taiwan reported 17 new local cases of COVID-19 on Monday. Authorities also reported 48 more imported cases among people arriving in Taiwan. There were no deaths reported.
Fourteen of the 17 new local cases are linked to a cluster centered around a steakhouse in Taoyuan City. They include family members and contacts of two groups who dined at the restaurant on January 7 and January 9.
Of the three other local cases, one is a nurse at Far Eastern Hospital. Health authorities are carrying out genetic sequencing to determine the source of infection. All the case’s contacts have tested negative.
Another local case is the boyfriend of a nurse at the Renai Branch of Taipei City Hospital. He tested positive while in isolation.
The final local case is a man in Taoyuan City who tested positive during medical treatment after being involved in a car accident. Health authorities say his Ct value is high, suggesting that he was not infected recently. Authorities are carrying out a second test because they suspect the result may be a false positive.
Taiwan also recorded 48 imported cases of COVID-19 on Monday. That includes 37 people who tested positive on arrival in Taiwan, and another 11 who tested positive while in quarantine.
The new imported cases include 28 cases from the United States; two from the Philippines; and one each from France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Costa Rica, Canada, Denmark and Germany. A further 11 cases are under investigation.