Taipei, May 28 (CNA) – Taiwan recorded 80,881 new COVID-19 cases and another daily high of 127 deaths as of Saturday, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
It is the fifth consecutive day that more than 80,000 cases have been recorded in a single day.
The number of cases, which consisted of 80,835 domestic infections and 46 foreign-acquired infections, had fallen from the 94,855 the day before, but the death toll of 127 is the highest daily total since the pandemic began, CECC data showed.
Of the 127 who died, aged between 5 and 100, 118 had chronic illnesses or other serious illnesses, while 48 had not been vaccinated with a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the CECC.
The youngest person to die was a 5-year-old boy who had a history of muscle disease prior to his COVID-19 infection, Lo said.
He later developed pneumonia and respiratory failure after contracting COVID-19, Lo said.
Although the boy was hospitalized, his condition worsened and he died on May 19, Lo said.
Another fatality was a 6-year-old boy who developed abdominal pain and a low-grade fever of 37.7 degrees Celsius on May 8, Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞), deputy chief of the CECC’s medical department, told the CECC daily press briefing Saturday.
The boy was confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 following PCR tests in a hospital emergency room, Lo said.
The next day, the boy showed convulsions and signs of lack of oxygen and was immediately intubated and taken to a hospital’s intensive care unit, Lo said.
A CT scan showed the boy had a tumor in his cerebellum that was putting pressure on his brainstem and causing cerebral edema, Lo said, adding that an autopsy showed the tumor was malignant.
The boy died of neurological shock on May 21, Lo said.
“Although it was determined that the boy was also infected with COVID-19, it was not the primary cause of his death, so his death is being identified as a comorbidity,” Lo said.
The deaths of the 5-year-old and 6-year-old boys brought the total number of child deaths due to COVID-19 to 10, Lo said.
The CECC also said Saturday that 115 previously reported COVID-19 cases had become severe, while 293 had developed other moderate symptoms of the disease.
Among the severe cases is a 7-year-old boy who was born with a metabolic disorder, Lo said.
The boy developed a fever of 104 degrees Fahrenheit on May 24 and other symptoms, including convulsions, Lo said.
The boy was taken to a hospital emergency room and found positive for COVID-19 after a PCR test, Lo said, adding that the boy is suspected of having encephalitis and was intubated and in an intensive care unit at the hospital being treated with medication. including the antiviral drug remdesivir.
“The good news is that treatment is going pretty well and the boy hasn’t been intubated since May 27,” Lo said.
A total of 18 children in Taiwan aged 9 or younger who were confirmed to get COVID-19 this year have developed serious complications from the disease, according to CECC data.
Of the 1,707,640 domestic cases registered in Taiwan this year, 1,286 were classified as severe infections and 3,153 as moderate infections, accounting for 0.08 percent and 0.18 percent of the total, respectively, according to CECC data dated May 27th.
In all other cases, those infected were either asymptomatic or had mild symptoms, the CECC said.
New Taipei on Saturday reported the highest number of domestic cases at 16,001, followed by Kaohsiung at 9,641, Taichung at 9,031 and Taoyuan at 8,999.
Taipei reported 7,998 cases, Tainan 6,666, Changhua County 3,597, Pingtung County 2,648, Hsinchu County 2,509, Miaoli County 2,024, Yilan County 1,870, Hsinchu City 1,759, Yunlin County 1,466, Keelung City 1,433 and Hualien County 1,326.
Chiayi County reported 1,014 cases, Nantou County 997, Taitung County 774, Chiayi City 585, Kinmen County 203, Penghu County 200 and Matsu Islands 94.
To date, Taiwan has registered 1,815,703 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in early 2020, including 1,802,833 domestic infections.
With 127 deaths reported on Saturday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the country rose to 1,911, of which 1,058 were recorded this year.
Also on Saturday
May 28: Easing of border controls depends on health system capacity: CECC
Similar news
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May 27: Taiwan offers free rapid COVID tests to children under 6 years old
May 27: Taiwan records its eighth child death from COVID-19 since April 19
May 27: Lawmakers approve a one-year extension of the COVID-19 Relief Act
Current cases
May 27: Taiwan reports 94,855 new COVID-19 cases, 126 deaths
May 26: Taiwan reports 81,907 new COVID-19 cases, 104 deaths
25. May: Taiwan reports 89,389 new COVID-19 cases, 76 deaths
May 24: Taiwan reports 82,435 new COVID-19 cases, 42 deaths
May 23: Taiwan reports 66,283 new COVID-19 cases, 40 deaths
