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Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Centre (CECC) has lost contact with over 300 confirmed Covid-19 patients after they tested positive.

Over 300 Covid-positive patients unaccounted for in Taiwan

The information was revealed by Chen Shih Chung, the head of the CECC during a press conference on May 25 (Tue), reported Taiwan News.

While many confirmed cases have been contacted, Chen said that over 300 people were uncontactable, and called on officials in Taipei and New Taipei to work with the police to track down the individuals.

Around 146 Covid-positive people in Taipei and 164 in New Taipei have been reported missing.

Phone numbers and addresses provided were either fake or illegible

The health minister said that the situation was concerning, as it could risk an even greater viral outbreak in Taiwan.

According to the Taipei city government, the missing people had taken the PCR tests at hospitals, before being sent home to wait for their results, reported SCMP.

However, they turned out to be uncontactable as the phone numbers and addresses provided by the individuals were either fake or illegible.

The police is conducting a search for the 300-odd individuals.

"Some of these people are from the low-income sector and they find earning income more important than being treated at hospital. This is the woe of the layman," police officer Shih Ming Chin explained why some may have avoided going to the hospital, even if they did not need to pay, according to SCMP.

Biggest Covid-19 wave in Taiwan since start of pandemic

Taiwan has been experiencing a large surge in cases, reporting 667 domestic Covid-19 cases on May 27, and 13 deaths.

To date, 59 people in Taiwan have died from Covid-19, according to Focus Taiwan.

Taiwan has seen 6,761 cases in total since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, of which over 5,000 cases are domestic cases reported since May 15.

Taiwan accuses China of interfering with its procurement of vaccines

Taiwanese president Tsai Ing Wen has seen her approval rating slip under 50 per cent for the first time since her second inauguration one year ago.

Her approval rating in May stood at 45.7 per cent, down from 54.4 per cent in April, according to SCMP.

Tsai was lauded for her success in spearheading the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic in the self-ruled island in 2020 by several publications, including the East Asia Forum and TIME.

Taiwan has accused China of interfering with the Taiwan administration's procurement of Covid-19 vaccines, according to The Guardian.

"We had almost completed the contract signing with the German manufacturer (BioNTech) at one point, but it has been delayed till now because China has interfered,” Tsai said during a party meeting on May 26 (Wed).

The Taiwanese president said that they had closed deals with AstraZeneca and Moderna to supply vaccines for Taiwan, and was engaging with BioNTech for the Pfizer vaccine.

The Chinese government has denied interfering with the deal between Taiwan and BioNTech, accusing the Taiwan administration of sacrificing the health of its residents for politics.

Top image via Tsai Ing Wen/Facebook, Unsplash