TAIPEI: Free packs of Covid-19 rapid tests will be offered to travellers at Kaohsiung International Airport and Kinmen’s ‘mini-three links’ wharf from Wednesday through late February, according to the Centres for Disease Control (CDC).
The four or five-test packs, currently available to travellers at Taoyuan International Airport, will be offered at Kaohsiung Airport from 8 am to 10.30 pm daily and at Kinmen’s Shuitou Wharf from 9.30 am to 6.30 pm daily, Central News Agency (CNA) quoted the CDC.
The CDC said the offer of free rapid tests was intended to coincide with the busy travel season around the Lunar New Year, as well as a spike in Covid-19 cases in recent weeks.
According to CDC data, Taiwan reported 538 severe Covid-19 infections for the week of Jan 9-Jan 15, up 4.5 per cent from the 515 cases reported the week before.
Taiwan also reported 55 Covid-19-related deaths over the past week, up from 48 the previous week, the CDC said.
The health agency urged members of the public, and particularly seniors, to get Moderna’s updated Covid-19 vaccine against the Omicron XBB subvariant, which has been available since Sept 26.
Since that time, 99 per cent of serious infections and Covid-19-related deaths in Taiwan involved people who had not received an XBB vaccine shot, the CDC said.
Over the past week, people aged 65 and above have also accounted for 79 per cent of all serious infections and 90 per cent of Covid-19 deaths, according to the agency.
The mini-three links refers to direct trade, postal and transportation services launched on Jan 1, 2001 between Kinmen and Matsu in Taiwan and Xiamen, Mawei, and Quanzhou in China’s Fujian Province. -Bernama
