Taiwan reported 17,549 new local cases of COVID-19 on Monday.
Another 48 people have died from the disease. That’s the lowest number for almost two months. Most were over the age of 80, and only about a third had taken three doses of a COVID vaccine.
If you take into account the population of each area of Taiwan, the Matsu Islands are a hotspot for the virus. Twenty-four people have new cases of COVID there in a population of just 13,000. The Penghu Islands are also dealing with a high number of infections, as is Taitung County.
Authorities say another 86 people are suffering from moderate or severe symptoms of the disease.
Taiwan also recorded 454 imported cases of COVID-19 on Monday. That’s more than usual — but officials say a technical fault means they had to record three days’ worth of cases at once. So Monday’s imported case number includes cases from Saturday and Sunday.