TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's COVID-19 outbreak is gaining momentum, with a potential peak in May or June, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC, 疾管署) reported on Tuesday (April 29). Also, COVID-19 emergency and outpatient visits surged nearly 20% between April 22 and April 28 compared to the previous week, marking the highest increase in 2025.
The CDC's statistics revealed that last week's COVID-19 visits reached 3,226, continuously rising for the third week. Notably, all age groups experienced an increase, with the 10-29 age bracket seeing a surge of over 30%. CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) noted that severe cases increased by 21, and deaths rose by seven, setting weekly records for the year.
Among the severe cases, a young woman in her 20s from northern Taiwan, without chronic illness or recent vaccination, was admitted to intensive care. She tested positive for COVID-19 and developed pneumonia and myocarditis after experiencing fever and other symptoms. Health officials urge the public to purchase home test kits if symptoms arise and provide results when seeking medical care.
Lo emphasized that vaccination remains the most effective method to prevent severe COVID-19 complications. He advised those who haven't received the current season's vaccine since Oct. 1 last year to get vaccinated. Taiwan has 3.21 million doses of the Moderna JN.1 vaccine available. The CDC assures that sufficient medication supplies, including 210,000 doses of Remdesivir and other treatments, have been adequate for over a year.
