#Taiwan, #Epidemics of Respiratory Viruses (#COVID19, #Influenza, #Enteroviruses) Weekly Update (CDC, August 25 '26): PQ.16.1.1 Variant Still Predominant

 

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    CDC monitoring data shows that the domestic COVID-19 epidemic is at a plateau. 

    In week 33 (August 16-22), there were 24,995 outpatient and emergency room visits for COVID-19, a 6.0% decrease compared to the previous week (August 9-15). 

    Last week (August 18-24), there were 59 new locally transmitted severe cases and 19 new locally transmitted deaths. 

    Since October 2025, there have been a total of 480 local cases of COVID-19 complicated by severe illness, of which 73 have died. 

    The majority of severe cases are among those aged 65 and above (73.5%) and those with a history of chronic diseases (82.5%). 86.5% of these cases have not been vaccinated this season. 

    In the past four weeks, the predominant variant strain in local cases has been PQ.16.1.1.     

    As of August 24, approximately 1.823 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered this season. There are currently about 111,000 doses remaining nationwide, which will be available until September 9. Eligible and needy individuals are advised to take advantage of this time and get vaccinated as soon as possible.

    Regarding the influenza epidemic, in week 33 (August 16-22), there were 94,340 outpatient and emergency room visits for influenza-like illnesses, a slight decrease of 2.5% compared to the previous week. 

    Additionally, last week (August 18-24), there were 64 new cases of severe influenza complications (59 H1N1 and 5 H3N2) and 15 deaths (all H1N1). 

    Laboratory surveillance data shows that the influenza virus currently circulating in the community is predominantly type A, with type A H1N1 accounting for a high percentage at 69.7%. 

    This flu season (2014-2015) saw a cumulative total of 1,139 severe cases (540 H1N1, 491 H3N2, 18 untyped A, and 90 B) and 220 deaths (101 H1N1, 101 H3N2, 6 untyped A, and 12 B). 

    The majority of severe cases were among those aged 65 and over (63.8%) and those with a history of chronic illness (82.4%). 71.0% of patients had not received the flu vaccine this season.

    Regarding enterovirus cases, in week 33 (August 16-22), there were 6,546 outpatient and emergency room visits, similar to the previous week (6,646), indicating a stable recent trend. 

    Laboratory surveillance over the past four weeks showed that Coxsackievirus A6 was the most prevalent enterovirus in the community, followed by enterovirus D68 and Coxsackievirus A16. 

    This year (2026), there have been a total of 6 confirmed cases of enterovirus infection complicated with severe illness (including 1 death), including 4 cases of enterovirus D68, 1 case each of Coxsackievirus A4 and Coxsackievirus A16. 

    Regarding the dengue fever outbreak, as of August 24th this year, there have been a total of 134 confirmed dengue fever cases, including 7 local cases (all residing in Kaohsiung City) and 127 imported cases. The imported cases were mainly from Southeast Asian and South Asian countries such as Indonesia (26 cases), Vietnam (26 cases), and the Maldives (16 cases). The cumulative number of cases is lower than the same period in 2025 (152 cases).

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Source: 

Link: https://www.cdc.gov.tw/Bulletin/Detail/QiAsLBvifNAj7FJzGc-ApQ?typeid=9

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