Taiwan’s coronavirus cases reach new record as island moves away from zero-Covid policy

Taiwan posted a new daily record of Covid-19 cases on May 18, 2022, as the island undergoes its second coronavirus wave that started in early April, sparked by the highly transmissible Omicron variant. The island’s health ministry records 225 deaths in the past week and acknowledges the virus is spreading rapidly among some communities. Once one of the world’s last zero-Covid policy holdouts, Taiwan has since reversed its strategy to living with the virus and has been gradually relaxing Covid restrictions even as daily cases continue to rise. The self-ruled island said it aims to coexist with Covid, highlighting a pandemic policy difference with mainland China.