Government Classifies Jan. 18 Arrival as Imported Case 昨1例自中國入境31天後 才驗出確診

The government reported four new domestic cases on Feb. 20. Case 20028 flew in from China on Jan. 18, tested negative upon arrival and after quarantine, and then tested positive 31 days after arrival. The government maintains he is an imported case. Experts say this is highly unlikely.

On the 20th, Taiwan reported four new domestic and 66 new imported cases. Case 20028, a Taipei City man in his 50s, flew from China to Taiwan on Jan. 18. He tested negative upon arrival, and during and after his quarantine. He paid out of pocket for a PCR test on Feb. 18 because he had to travel. His test came back positive with a Ct value of 29. The government says he is an imported case. Epidemiologists beg to differ, saying Omicron has a shorter incubation period and it is highly unlikely the man already had COVID-19 when he arrived in Taiwan. 

Huang Li-min, Honorary Chair, Infectious Diseases Society of Taiwan: “It is possible he was infected around the time he completed his quarantine. You can't completely rule out him already being infected, just asymptomatic, when he entered Taiwan, and then testing positive 31 days later. However, that is highly unlikely.”

The U.K. will be announcing its first coexistence plan on the 21st. It will be the first country in Europe to lift quarantine for infected arrivals. One doctor in Taiwan says the U.K. can do this because it has an 85 percent two-dose vaccine coverage rate for everyone over 12 and two out of every three people have had three doses. In comparison, Taiwan's three-dose coverage rate is just 35 percent so it can't do the same thing. However, the doctor also says the Tsai administration should allow people with mild or no symptoms to quarantine at home.

Liu Peng-chih, Family Doctor, Shin Kong Hospital: “(The government) is waiting for the three-dose coverage rate to get up to 50-60 percent. Perhaps by that time, people won't be forced to quarantine at designated facilities. Perhaps the government can, for example, allow those with mild or no symptoms to quarantine at home.”

Experts say Taiwanese people must be allowed to learn to coexist with the virus. Apart from washing hands and wearing masks, getting vaccinated is the best way to protect oneself.

 

國內新冠肺炎疫情，20日新增4例本土及66例境外移入，其中北市一名50多歲男子、案20028，1月18日從中國入境，居家檢疫期間及期滿採檢均為陰性，後來因出國需求，2月18日自費採檢PCR才陽性確診，Ct值29，目前列為境外移入。不過有感染科醫師認為，Omicron潛伏期短，個案在境外感染可能性極低，不排除是國內感染。

台灣感染症醫學會名譽理事長黃立民分析:「他是有可能是在解隔前後那段時間感染的，可能性是有的，那當然你也不能完全排除，他是境外就把病毒帶進來，只是沒症狀，然後到了31天才被我們抓到，不過這個機率相對上是比較低的。」

此外，英國預定週一宣布與病毒共存的方案，可望成為歐洲首例，允許染疫者免隔離的國家。對此有國內醫師表示，英國12歲以上人口，有85%完成2劑疫苗接種，且有三分之二人口完成3劑疫苗接種，反觀台灣疫苗涵蓋率，第三劑只有3成5，還沒有達群體免疫條件，不過建議政府可考慮將輕症或無症狀確診者，改成在家隔離。

新光醫院家醫科醫師柳朋馳指出:「等第三劑的施打的涵蓋率，到5、6成以上，那假如這時候，不見得就一定要在所謂的隔離檢疫所，去做相關的一些隔離，或許就可以逐漸的改成是否假如說有一些輕症或無症狀的，那轉成所謂的居家隔離的政策。」

專家強調，台灣邊境預計3月將「微解封」，國人也必須學習與新冠病毒共存，因此除了維持勤洗手、戴口罩等公衛措施，也建議民眾儘快將疫苗打好打滿，以提升保護力。