Focus Taiwan
Date: 03/05/2020
By: Chang Ming-hsuan and Matthew Mazzetta

Taipei, March 5 (CNA) Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Thursday

confirmed two new cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus, involving a woman who was likely infected by the 39th case and a man who returned from the Philippines on Tuesday.

At a press conference, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said the 43rd case is a northern Taiwan woman in her 50s who attended floral arrangement classes with the 39th case of the virus, who was diagnosed Feb. 29 after returning from a trip to Dubai and Egypt on Feb. 21.

According to Chen, the woman sat directly across from the 39th case in classes on Feb. 24 and 25, and later developed a fever and sore throat, for which she sought medical attention on Tuesday.

The woman's test results, which were confirmed on Thursday, appeared to come as a surprise to the CECC, which thought that the 39th case had been successfully "contained" and that no one she had contact with had been infected.    [FULL  STORY]