Taipei, May 17 (CNA) Taiwan on Monday confirmed 335 new cases of COVID-19, of which 333 were classified as domestic infections, breaking its daily record of local cases for the fourth consecutive day and pushing the total number of cases in the country past 2,000.
The new domestic cases are 189 females and 144 males, ranging from under 5 years of age to over 90, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said.
Taipei reported the most cases, at 158, around half of which are in Wanhua District. New Taipei had the second highest number, at 148, with 41 reported in Banqiao District.
Taoyuan reported 10 cases, Keelung 6, and Hsinchu and Miaoli counties one each.
In central Taiwan, Changhua County confirmed 5 cases and Taichung reported two. There were also two cases in Yilan County in eastern Taiwan.
Of the 333 cases, 155 were linked to a cluster of infections involving hostess teahouses in Taipei's Wanhua District, while 86 involved people who had recently been to Wanhua.
Six were related to a religious tour in southern Taiwan, five involved a Lions Club International organization based in New Taipei, and three were linked to games arcades in Yilan County.
The CECC said it was still trying to determine whether 38 of the other cases were related to those clusters, while it had found no apparent link between the clusters and 40 of the new cases.
Taiwan is grappling with its worst domestic outbreak since the pandemic began, with around 780 domestic cases confirmed over the past week.
Most of the domestic cases have been in northern Taiwan, and the surge has resulted in some patients being quarantined at government centers instead of in hospital negative pressure isolation rooms, as has been the protocol, according to the CECC.
Of the 133 patients currently in government centers, 128 have been quarantined there because they are either asymptomatic or have only mild symptoms of the disease, CECC official Lo Yi-chun said at a press briefing.
Five others had been hospitalized for more than 10 days and had recovered well enough to be transferred to a government quarantine center, Lo said.
The centers are staffed with nurses who monitor the patients regularly, Lo said, adding that if the patients' condition deteriorate they will be taken to hospital.
Besides the 333 domestic cases confirmed Monday, Taiwan also reported two new imported cases, from the Philippines and Haiti, according to the CECC.
To date, Taiwan has recorded 2,017 cases of COVID-19, with 883 classified as domestic infections. Of the total number of patients, 1,123 have recovered and 12 have died.
Of the 882 active cases in the country, 41 are severe infections, and 15 of those patients are in intensive care units, according to CECC advisor Chang Shan-chwen.
Thirteen of the severely ill patients are on ventilators, including two also on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), Chang said.
