TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced on Tuesday (June 11) that Taiwan has entered a new wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a significant increase in local cases and complications among the elderly.
Last week, Taiwan saw an addition of 328 local COVID-19 cases with complications, a sharp rise from the previous week by 263 cases. Notably, complications in individuals aged 65 and above accounted for 79% of these cases.
The CDC's recent statistics on variant monitoring over the past four weeks show that the JN.1 variant is the predominant strain among both local and imported cases, accounting for 64% and 59% respectively.
There's also a slight increase in the KP.2 and KP.3 variants. Despite a decrease in death cases last week, with 20 new deaths compared to a reduction of 26 from the previous week, the elderly still represent 90% of these fatalities.
The CDC has issued a call to action for those who have not yet received the XBB COVID-19 vaccine, emphasizing the importance of vaccination among high-risk groups. This includes individuals over 65, those with immunodeficiencies, and people with lowered immunity.
Specifically, they urge that high-risk individuals who have received one dose and have waited 12 weeks should get their second dose to enhance protection against severe illness or death.
