Taiwan recorded more than 10,000 new coronavirus infections on Thursday (April 28) for the first time since the start of the pandemic, after the government's decision in early April to abandon its "zero Covid" strategy.

“We have 11,353 local infections, two deaths and 164 imported cases,” Health Minister Chen Shih-chung announced Thursday at a press conference. Taiwan maintained a low infection rate for the first two years of the pandemic thanks to border closures and strict quarantine rules. A resurgence last year had led to a new implementation of social distancing measures, costly for the economy, until the end of this wave. Infections are now picking up again but leaders have announced they will follow the example of other economies, such as Singapore, Australia or New Zealand, which have moved from a “zero Covid” strategy to the acceptance of an increase in cases.

According to the Taiwanese Ministry of Health, 99.7% of the 51,504 cases recorded since January 1 have no or few symptoms. Seven deaths were reported during this period. “We are in a phase where cases will definitely increase rapidly, which is inevitable,” Chen said. The minister warned that the number of infections could more than double to 37,000 within a week.

80% of the population doubly vaccinated

Nearly 80% of the island's population received two doses of the vaccine and 58% received a booster. Vaccination rates are, however, lower among the oldest, who are also the most vulnerable, with only 59% of those over 75 having received a third injection. This week, across the capital Taipei, residents lined up outside pharmacies to buy test kits that are now rationed by the government.

The government has launched a new plan to shorten the home quarantine of contact cases to three days, instead of ten, if an antigen test proves negative at the end of the three-day period. He is also considering relaxing the 10-day quarantine for any arrival on the island. With this shift in policy in Taiwan, China remains the only major economy to stick to a draconian Covid-elimination strategy with painful lockdowns, even as the Omicron variant undermines those defenses. Since the start of the pandemic, Taiwan has recorded around 88,000 contaminations and 860 deaths.