Taiwan records first infant death due to COVID-19 as two-year old boy dies

Taiwan reported the first death of an infant due to COVID-19 in the New Taipei region.

Doctors said the two-year-old boy died due to brain stem encephalitis which was triggered by the virus as the country continues to battle the pandemic.

Taiwan's health minister had warned earlier this month that coronavirus cases could hit 1,000 a day even as the country reported over 1,600 on Tuesday.

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Taiwan has reported most COVID-19 cases in New Taipei, Taipei, Taoyuan, Keelung located in the northern region. The country has recorded854 COVID-19in the past two years even as health minister Chen Shih-chung claimed the "scale of the pandemic is very large".

Several cities have started home quarantine amid surging COVID-19 cases as the country battles the second wave.

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The COVID-19 cases began to rise in mid-March andrecently hit 1,000 daily cases worrying health officials in the country.

Amid the rising number of cases, Taiwan's health minister had said the country will move away from its "zero-Covid"strategy as it prepares to combat the virus.

Taiwan had mostly closed its borders and kept the virus under check for the past two years while keeping its economic activity in shape although it had imposed social distancing measures last year as COVID-19 cases surged in the country.

(With inputs from Agencies)