Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je said there is no evidence so far to show the COVID-19 can be passed from animals to humans. He speculated it might be an laboratory-associated incident.
The former Academia Sinica worker is Taiwan's first domestic case of COVID-19 in 35 days. The woman was fully vaccinated with Moderna and was bitten by lab mice on two occasions.
Ko Wen-je, Taipei City Mayor: “There are no known cases of animal-to-human transmission in the world, so it may have been some kind of exposure in the lab. All labs should be taking a look at their safety protocols.”
The woman developed a cough on Nov. 26 and got a PCR test. Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je says she lacked sense by not staying at home after becoming symptomatic, and that there are problems with management training. The woman visited numerous places in both Taipei and New Taipei in the 14 days before she tested positive. Most of her activity in Taipei was in Nangang, with numerous stops at Nangang Station, Dongmen Station, Taipei Main Station, and Q Square. On the afternoon of the 7th, she also took bus lines 306 and Blue 21. The city government says anyone that may have been on the same bus as the woman should get tested as soon as possible. In New Taipei, most of her activity was in Xizhi, where she visited Farglory Square, a steak restaurant, a convenience store, and a drugstore.
Hou Yu-ih, New Taipei City Mayor: “The female researcher and her boyfriend live together. His PCR test was negative. If other people that came into contact with her test positive, we will implement social restrictions and suspend activities if necessary.”
Hou Yu-ih says countdown festivities will be cancelled if necessary. Ko, meanwhile, says countdown events, the Lantern Festival, and other activities will be canceled if there are any new cases in the next two or three days with an untraceable infection source. Taipei is in the process of administering booster shots to medical personnel, first responders, and environmental workers.
中研院南港P3實驗室前助理研究員確診，感染Delta病毒株。這名助理研究員曾接種兩劑莫德納疫苗，在實驗室曾兩度被染疫老鼠咬傷。
台北市長柯文哲表示：「到現在為止全世界的數據，看起來並沒有新冠肺炎，從動物傳到人的案例，所以也許更有可能是實驗室在處理，新冠肺炎病毒的外洩事件，應該把全台有在做這個清查一遍。」
柯文哲認為，案16816在11月26日有咳嗽症狀，就該立即採檢PCR，阻斷疫情傳播，不該到處趴趴走，直言管理訓練有問題。而這14天足跡複雜，遍佈雙北，台北市以南港為主，多次到捷運南港站、東門站，也到過台北車站和京站。其中7日下午搭乘公車306和藍21，市府呼籲這時間有搭乘這兩班公車的民眾，趕快出來篩檢。新北足跡以汐止為主，去過遠雄廣場、牛排店、便利商店和藥妝店。
新北市長侯友宜表示：「女性研究員的男性友人，住在一起，他的採檢PCR是陰性，擴大匡列跟採檢的過程當中，又有新增陽性個案出來的時候，我們會採取（活動）規模縮小，若越往下走我們看到整個狀況，其實已經比較嚴重了，我們必要的時候該停止就會停止。」
由於年底活動眾多，侯友宜坦言，必要時該停止就停止；柯文哲表示，如果這兩、三天出現不明病例，包括跨年晚會，台北燈節和促銷等活動就要關掉，北市府也啟動施打第三劑疫苗，要求醫院、警消、環保等單位都要打好打滿。