A Filipino migrant worker and a Taiwanese woman, both in their 30s, were diagnosed with the coronavirus on Saturday, bringing the total number of cases in Taiwan to 492, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
The Filipino migrant worker was not experiencing symptoms when he arrived in Taiwan to start a new job on Thursday, CECC spokesman Chuang Jen-hsian said, CNA reports.
On arrival, the man was tested at the airport and was taken to a quarantine facility. On Saturday, his test results came back positive and he was transferred to a hospital.
Taiwan has mandated centralized quarantine for all arrivals from the Philippines since August 12 because of the rising number of patients from that country. The CECC said nine passengers on the man's flight were put into home quarantine, while five flight crew members were asked to follow a self-health management protocol.
The Taiwanese woman had been working in Indonesia since June and developed symptoms including a runny nose, fever and a loss of sense of smell between August 15-22, but did not seek medical treatment, Chuang said.
When the woman returned to Taiwan on Friday, she notified airport health authorities of her recent symptoms and was tested before being sent to a quarantine facility, Chuang said. Her results were positive on Saturday. Health authorities have sent the woman's travel companion and two people who sat close to her on the flight into home quarantine and have asked 18 flight crew members to observe self-health management.
The two new imported patients bring the total number in Taiwan to 492, of which 400 have been imported, the CECC said.
In total, 473 patients in Taiwan have recovered, seven have died and 12 remain in hospital, the CECC said.
