TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — All staff members at Taoyuan General Hospital (TGH), the epicenter of the recent cluster outbreak have tested negative for the coronavirus.
Results of the massive testing drive were announced by the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) at a regular news briefing on Sunday (Feb. 7). Those screened will no longer have their National Health Insurance Card registered as “under self-health monitoring restrictions” starting today.
The initiative, dubbed “COVID-19 elimination,” involved carrying out nucleic acid tests for 2,135 people from Feb. 3-5, including medical staff and contract workers with access to the northern Taiwan hospital. The aim was to identify patients who may have gone undetected so as to eradicate the risk of further outbreaks.
With the negative results, CECC head Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) declared that the threat of further COVID-19 infections associated with the hospital has been defused. An additional 585 tests on samples from the facility’s wards, emergency rooms, clinical zones, and public areas also gave COVID-free results.
To gain a clearer picture of the cluster, around 1,759 people will be subject to a coronavirus antibody test in the second phase of the project.
The incident, which began in early January when a physician tested positive, triggered an emergency response on Jan. 22 that has entailed the quarantine of nearly 5,000 individuals, the largest ever for Taiwan. Many patients have been transferred, and a total of 20 cases linked with the cluster have been recorded as of Sunday.
Hsu Yuan-nian (徐永年), the superintendent of TGH, apologized at the press event for the panic caused by the event, which has prompted some cities and counties to advise against traveling to Taoyuan. He also expressed heartfelt gratitude to the public for their support and empathy, as well as for the strong backup provided by the command chain.
