CASE OF MISC-C RISE:
Based on the incidence rate of MIS-C in the United States, there could be around 650 cases in Taiwan within a year, a doctor told a CDC conference yesterday.
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By Lee I-chia / Staff Reporter
The rationing program for the purchase of COVID-19 rapid test kits at pharmacies will no longer require people to purchase the kits on different days of the week based on the number at the end of their ID card number, said Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center.
Starting tomorrow, people who have not yet purchased a five-pack of test kits in the current cycle can bring their national health insurance card to a contracted pharmacy to purchase a pack any day of the week, while the other rules remain the same, he said.
Meanwhile, children aged five to 11 are advised to receive a second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine with an interval of at least four to eight weeks from the first dose, the Central said yesterday. Epidemic Command Center (CECC), as it reported five cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C).
Photo courtesy of National Taiwan University Hospital via CNA
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is the CECC’s spokesperson, said a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Friday suggested the interval between the two doses of COVID-19 vaccine and that a mix-and-match approach is not recommended for children.
Experts at the meeting recommended that children aged five to 11 receive two doses of the vaccine at least four to eight weeks apart, he said, adding that the two doses should be of the same brand, with the exception of special cases, such as children who have an adverse effect after the first dose.
Chuang said they are also recommending that healthcare providers, including registered healthcare professionals and non-medical professionals at healthcare facilities, assess their risk of infection and their willingness to receive a second dose of booster at least five months after the first booster injection.
The center reported 79,633 new COVID-19 infections, 79,598 local cases and 65 imported cases.
The most local cases were reported in Kaohsiung, with 13,047, followed by Taichung with 11,341, New Taipei City with 10,728, Tainan with 7,038, Taoyuan with 6,487, Changhua County with 5 991 and Taipei with 5,382.
CDC Deputy Director General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), deputy chief of CECC’s Medical Response Division, said 446 new moderate to severe cases and 211 deaths associated with COVID-19 have been confirmed.
Of the deaths, 105 people were aged 80 or older, 198 had underlying health conditions, 94 were unvaccinated and 141 had not received a booster shot, he said.
Five cases of MIS-C have been reported among the 185 severe cases, Lo said, adding that they were four boys and one girl between the ages of two and 10, and they had mild symptoms when they tested positive for COVID-19 between late April. and mid-May, but developed new symptoms after three to four weeks.
Lo said an eight-year-old boy in the group also developed acute appendicitis, but recovered after treatment and went home on May 31, while the other four children remain in hospital.
Parents of children who test positive for COVID-19 within six weeks are advised to see a doctor if their child has a continuous fever and any of the other six main symptoms – abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, rash , red eyes and dizziness, he said, adding that a vaccine can reduce the risk of MIS-C by 90%.
He said symptoms of MIS-C also include swollen lymph nodes and a sore throat.
A doctor told a CDC conference yesterday morning that, based on the incidence rate of MIS-C in the United States, there could be around 650 cases in Taiwan within a year.
Asked for comment, Lo said the U.S. study’s incidence rate of MIS-C was about 316 per million, but the Asian children in the study had a lower incidence rate, and the Local experts agree the rate could be lower in Taiwan.
Based on the cases reported so far – eight children out of about 100,000 – the rate would be around 80 per million, but it could rise, Chen said.
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