Taiwan remained in the epidemic phase of an influenza outbreak as the Centers for Disease Control reported Oct. 6 that 219 new severe flu cases and 44 deaths were recorded between Sept. 29 and Oct. 5—the highest weekly totals in a year—while laboratory surveillance showed influenza A(H1N1) accounting for 90.7 percent of typed influenza A viruses.
Outpatient pressure
CDC data counted 139,060 outpatient and emergency visits for influenza-like illness during the Sept. 27–Oct. 3 week, down 1.4 percent from the prior week but still above epidemic thresholds. Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Kuo Hung-wei said activity stayed elevated as families traveled for the Mid-Autumn and Double Ten bridge, mixing age groups in enclosed settings.
Vaccination uptake
The annual publicly funded influenza and COVID-19 campaign began Oct. 1. By Monday, 1.062 million people had received flu vaccines and 395,000 had taken COVID-19 shots—both above last year's early pace. Uptake among people aged 65 and older rose about 10 percent year-on-year, with 660,000 senior doses in five days, partly boosted by digital Health Coin incentives for completing paired vaccinations and wellness tasks.
Clinical risk profile
Most severe cases involved adults 65 or older or patients with chronic disease; 67.2 percent of severe cases last season had not received that season's flu shot, Kuo said. All 30 severe cases recorded in the new Oct. 1 season were H1N1, underscoring subtype dominance.
COVID-19 still circulating
COVID-19 outpatient visits fell 26.7 percent week-on-week to 7,836 but remained epidemic-level. Authorities logged 37 new severe domestic COVID-19 cases and 16 deaths in the same surveillance window—reminding hospitals to staff dual respiratory pathways through the holiday.
What hospitals are doing
Taipei and New Taipei facilities told InfoHandle they extended evening fever clinics and reserved pediatric isolation beds after post-holiday ER spikes. Pharmacies reported steady demand for antivirals and rehydration salts without the panic buying seen in 2022.
Public guidance
CDC urged high-risk residents to vaccinate before long-weekend gatherings, maintain hand hygiene and seek care promptly if breathing difficulty or persistent high fever appears. Employers were reminded that vaccinated workforces reduce shift absences even when vaccines do not block every infection.
Hospital coordination
Northern medical centers activated mutual-aid letters to accept stabilized flu transfers if pediatric isolation beds exceed ninety percent occupancy for forty-eight hours, a threshold Taipei City Hospital approached during the Sept. 27–Oct. 3 travel week.
Employer and school guidance
CDC extended seventy-two-hour fever-free rules for group care and asked employers to treat vaccination leave separately from generic sick days so shift workers are not penalized for protecting co-workers before Double Ten gatherings.
Pharmacies in Taipei and New Taipei reported steady oral rehydration sales without panic buying, while blood banks said platelet stocks remained stable heading into the long weekend.