TAIWAN GETS 3 IMPORTED COVID CASES: 2 FROM PHILIPPINES, 1 FROM UKRAINE

Taiwan reported three new imported cases of COVID-19 on Friday, two of them from the Philippines and one from Ukraine, raising the total number of infections to 527 since the outbreak began, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said.

One of the new patients is a Filipino man in his 20s who traveled from the Philippines to Taiwan on Sept. 24. He was tested Wednesday, just before the end of his 14-day quarantine, as is mandatory for all arrivals from that country, CECC spokesman Chuang Jen-hsiang said at a press briefing in Taipei, William Yen reported for the Central News Agency (CNA) of Taiwan.

The test result came back positive Friday, and the man is currently in hospital quarantine, Chuang said. Another Philippine national, a woman in her 30s, also entered Taiwan on Sept. 24 and tested positive near the end of her quarantine period, Chuang said.

The test on Wednesday, however, showed a weak positive, and it was repeated Thursday, when it was confirmed that she was infected with COVID-19, Chuang said, adding that the patient is now in the hospital.

In the third new case, a Ukrainian man in his 30s, who arrived from his home country on Sept. 22 was tested on Oct. 7, for work requirements, after his two-week quarantine.

"The circumstances of the two cases are similar in that the patients both arrived on Sept. 24, though not on the same flight, and they both showed no symptoms of COVID-19 upon arrival," Chuang said.

To date, 435 of the 527 cases of COVID-19 in Taiwan are classified as imported. Of the total, 488 have recovered, seven have died and 32 are being treated in hospital, according to CECC data.