Over 60 Imported BA.4, BA.5 Cases Last Week 上週境外移入 共驗出61例BA.4和BA.5

Experts say that if Taiwan wants to lower its COVID-19 mortality rate, then senior citizens must get third vaccine doses. Meanwhile, they forecast that domestic cases caused by Omicron subvariants will begin surging in September.

Last week, 61 people infected with Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 were intercepted at the border. The total number of imported BA.4 and BA.5 cases stands at 19 and 107, respectively. Experts say these variants are even more infectious and have increased immune escape. They have already become the dominant strains in the U.S. and many European countries. Taiwan needs to be prepared, as experts predict domestic cases caused by these subvariants will surge in September.

Huang Li-min, Honorary Chair, Infectious Diseases Society of Taiwan: “After two months, the number of people they infect will gradually start to increase because the immune pressure will start to lift. One estimate is the beginning of September. At that time, we could see more BA.4 and BA.5 infections. We don't know right now whether BA.4 or BA.5 will become the dominant strain in Taiwan, because both have a chance of becoming the dominant strain.”

The domestic epidemic situation appears to be improving. Some scholars say Taiwan's Omicron mortality rate is 2.1 out of 10,000. If Taiwan wants to lower the mortality rate, then senior citizens must get third vaccine doses.

Hung Tzu-jen, Assoc. Prof., Inst. of Hospital & Health Care Admin., NYCU: “People aged 60 and above accounted for 12.1 percent of all cases at the beginning of May. Last week, they accounted for 16.6 percent of the three million cases.”

Experts say there are still 610,000 people aged 65 and above who have not gotten their second dose. The trends in other countries show that boosting the vaccine coverage of senior citizens to 90 percent can substantially reduce their chances of developing severe cases and dying after getting infected. The government should also strengthen its monitoring of long-term care facilities and increase the frequency of rapid testing so that infections can be identified and medicines can be prescribed promptly.

上週我國邊境又攔截到61例Omicron亞型變異株BA.4和BA.5，累計國內已檢出126例BA.4和BA.5境外移入病例，包括BA.5有107例，BA.4有19例，有專家表示，新變異株傳播力更強，且有免疫逃脫特性，目前在許多歐美國家已成為主要流行株，台灣早晚也會進入社區，預估9月出現本土流行。

台灣感染症醫學會名譽理事長黃立民分析：「兩個月之後呢，它就因為免疫的壓力開始解除，它就開始慢慢會感染的人開始慢慢會變多，所以一個估計是9月開始呢，說不定就會看到比較多的BA.4、BA.5的感染，到底是BA.4還是BA.5會在台灣占優勢，這個就目前我們不清楚，因為兩支都有可能。」

新冠本土疫情趨緩，有學者指出，台灣Omicron全人口死亡率為萬分之2.1，也就是全國2300多萬民眾中，每萬人有2.1人因確診而死亡，若想再降低死亡率，長輩一定要打滿3劑疫苗。

陽明交大醫管所副教授洪子仁指出：「60歲以上的長者的染疫率占我們確診的總個案數，從5月初占12.1%，到上星期在我們300多萬例裡面，事實上60歲以上長者的染疫率的占率是來到16.6%。」

洪子仁強調，目前全台仍有61萬多名65歲以上長者，連2劑疫苗都沒完整接種，依各國染疫趨勢分析，若能提高長者疫苗覆蓋率到9成，可大幅減少長者染疫後、重症及死亡風險；另外也必須加強對長照機構監控，增加長者快篩頻率，及早發現確診者、及早投藥，也有助於降低染疫死亡率。