Taichung Armed Forces General Hospital

On October 7, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced that Taiwan recently received notifications from the Japanese and French authorities through the International Health Regulations (IHR) National Focal Point that some travelers had tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) after their departure from Taiwan.

The CECC pointed out that Japan reported three cases who tested positive after their departure from Taiwan. Of the three cases, one is a Taiwanese man, and the other two are Japanese men. The Taiwanese man’s test result issued within three days prior to his departure was negative, but he tested positive after undergoing antigen testing when entering Japan. The other two cases tested positive after taking antigen tests when entering Japan but they all tested negative after taking RT-PCR tests one day later. A total of 74 individuals who had come into contact with the three cases in Taiwan have been identified. Of the 74 individuals, 34 have been tested for COVID-19; the 34 contacts all tested negative after taking RT-PCR and antibody tests.

The case reported by the French authorities is a French man in his 20s. The French man entered Taiwan in February and left Taiwan on September 30. He tested positive after undergoing RT-PCR testing in France on October 2. The case hasn’t shown any symptoms yet. A total of nine individuals who had come into contact with the case in Taiwan have been identified. Of the 9 individuals, 3 have been tested, and they all tested negative after taking RT-PCR and antibody tests.

Regarding the 22 migrant workers who had tested positive upon arrival in the Philippines after their departure from Taiwan in September, those migrant workers underwent a 14-day period of group quarantine after testing positive. They all were given another COVID-19 test before the end of the quarantine period, and they all tested negative.