Taiwan’s health ministry predicts the country will surge past 20,000 new daily COVID cases by the end of the week, up to a worst-case scenario of 37,000. That came in a report to Taiwan’s Cabinet on Thursday.
According to the report, the health ministry expects Taiwan to record 13,519 cases on Saturday. By next Thursday, that number rises to 26,864.
The further away the date, the less certainty there is about the ministry’s prediction. That’s why the report says next Thursday’s case number could fall anywhere between 19,258 and 37,852.
After two years following a zero-COVID strategy, Taiwan’s government has adopted what it calls a “new Taiwan model”. That means keeping severe cases and deaths to a minimum, while gradually dropping COVID restrictions and returning to normal life.
Taiwan’s shift in strategy brings it in line with regional neighbors like South Korea, which has announced plans to end virtually all COVID rules.