New wave of COVID-19 sweeps nation, coinciding with summer flu outbreak

New wave of COVID-19 sweeps nation, coinciding with summer flu outbreak

2024-06-26

The sixth wave of COVID-19 has hit Taiwan. According to the Taiwan CDC, 817 domestic cases were reported last week. That’s nearly 200 more than the week before. Officials expect cases to continue rising until mid-July. Vulnerable groups, including people aged 65 and above, are advised to get the latest COVID booster as soon as possible.

Clinics like this are seeing a flood of patients, as Taiwan grapples with its first summer flu outbreak in seven years. Not only that, a new wave of COVID-19 is sweeping the nation.

Member of public
I had a cold recently and so I took a rapid test. I just wore a mask, drank more water, and saw a doctor.

Member of public
Like when I go to a traditional market to buy produce, I always wear a mask, and then I wash my hands right after I get home.

Taiwan’s public is on edge. Data from the Taiwan CDC shows that there were 817 new domestic COVID cases last week, which is 193 more cases than the week before. There were also 40 COVID-related deaths, with 90% being people 65 and older. The Taiwan CDC predicts that cases will peak in mid-July. The dominant variant, the JN.1, does not usually cause severe symptoms, but it’s also highly contagious.

Wei Chih-ming
Pediatrician
Recently, a lot of people are showing classic flu symptoms but they actually have COVID-19. This may be because after May 20, the central government lifted its mask mandate for public spaces and medical institutions.

Hospitals are under strain from the influx of patients. At National Taiwan University Hospital, nearly 100 patients were in the emergency room waiting for beds on Tuesday. The hospital has restored its pandemic-era measures. Taipei Veterans General Hospital said that cases had risen slightly, but that the situation was under control and its emergency room was not overcrowded. Even so, the hospital urged staff to wear masks. Vaccination is also vital, says a pediatrician.

Wei Chih-ming
Pediatrician
Willingness to get the XBB vaccine is already low. As for the older vaccines people got, their protection has already worn off. With people going around without masks on, of course we’re seeing a new wave of infections.

So far, only 11.47% of the Taiwanese population has received a COVID-19 XBB booster. Central and local governments urge prompt vaccination for vulnerable groups, which include people 65 and older and those who are immunocompromised.

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新冠疫情再起! 疾管署估7月中進入"高原期"

2024-06-26

新冠疫情正式進入第六波流行！上星期新增817例本土案例，比前一週多出193例，死亡40例中甚至高達9成是65歲以上長者，台大醫院因應新冠患者暴增，宣布恢復疫情時管控，疾管署也預估7月中進入疫情高原期。

患者陸續來診所報到，台灣不但時隔7年再爆出夏季流感，連COVID-19也捲土重來，近期進流行期。

[[民眾]]
“前陣子感冒有篩過而已，就戴口罩，然後多喝水、看醫生。”

[[民眾]]
“像我去市場買菜，我也是都戴著口罩，然後回家就是洗手。”

民眾人人自危，疾管署資料則顯示，上週新增817例本土病例，除了呈上升趨勢，還比更新增了193例，死亡個案也落在40例，其中65歲以上長者就佔了90%，疾管署預估7月中恐怕進入"高原期，目前主流變異株JN.1雖然症狀沒有更強，但傳播力恐怕更難預防。

[[小兒科醫師魏之明]]
“最近是滿多這樣典型的流感症狀的人是COVID-19。原因可能跟第一個我們5月，國家政策我們520之後，公共場所、醫療院所都已經完全解禁不用戴口罩。”

大批患者擠進醫院，也造成醫療院所負擔，台大醫院說明25號當天急診室候床接近百人，目前全院恢復疫情時管控，台北榮總則說明目前個案微增，但在掌握之中，急診並無壅塞，但已提醒同仁注意疫情並多戴口罩，但最重要的仍是施打疫苗。

[[小兒科醫師魏之明]]
“XBB疫苗其實打氣就已經不強了，舊款的疫苗保護效果就比較差，現在又脫口罩，所以就流行一波。”

目前國內新冠XBB疫苗接種率只剩11.47%，中央地方共同呼籲疫苗都還足夠，65歲以上長者或免疫不全高風險族群，要盡速施打。

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Kuo also met with U.S. tech giants such as Nvidia, thanking them for increasing their investments in Taiwan. He urged them to send U.S. tech talent to Taiwan to address manpower shortages in advanced manufacturing.

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Originally from Chengdu, Shao Limei leads tourists around the Donggang fish market. Her husband Lin Wen-feng grew up here and they returned together five years ago. Shao started leading these tours not only to satisfy her own intellectual curiosity, but also to give tourists the chance to see the fishing industry with their own eyes.

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In addition to giving tours of the port, they also cooperate with local groups to organize cultural tours of fishing villages.

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Shao and Lin used to be managers in the tech industry, but became business owners when they returned to Donggang. Originally intending to start a retail delivery service, they unexpectedly entered the souvenir market. They renovated their store to make it stylish and redesigned the branding and packaging, gaining recognition from many public departments.

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Every store in Donggang sells fresh products, so how can you get more people to see you or buy your products for gifts to increase their value? On the one hand, I feel more pressure and want to do even better, but on the other hand, I think we should continue to pursue this path.

Love inspired Shao to forgo her previous path and start a new life with her husband in Taiwan. Love also transformed her from someone without confidence into a woman sure of herself. In her new hometown of Donggang, she is writing the next exciting chapter of her life.

This story was provided by the program "We Are Family"
Funded by New Immigrant Development Fund

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2024-06-26