Indonesian helper illegally working in Taiwan infected

An Indonesian woman who was working in the country illegally has been confirmed as Taiwan's 32nd coronavirus case, after being hired to care for an elderly man in the hospital who was later diagnosed with the virus, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Wednesday.

At a press conference, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said the woman, who is in her 30s, was confirmed as the sixth case associated with a family cluster of the virus also responsible for cases 27-31, CNA reports.

According to Chen, the woman worked from Feb. 11-16 as a hospital caregiver for an octogenarian northern Taiwan man, who was diagnosed Sunday as Taiwan's 27th case.

Because the woman was working illegally, authorities were initially unable to locate her for testing on Monday, the CECC said.

After a four-hour search, police found the woman caring for a patient at another hospital, the CECC said.

The woman was tested for the virus and placed under medical quarantine on Monday night, the CECC said, adding that at the time her symptoms were limited to a mild sore throat.