On March 7, 2020, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) reported that it has sent specimens of an American healthcare worker in Palau with suspected coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to labs for COVID-19 testing after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs received the official notification from the Palau government. The American healthcare worker is currently being treated in the isolation ward at a local hospital. 

Upon the receipt of the notification of the suspected case from the Palau government, Taiwan’s responsible authorities invited physicians from the Shin Kong Hospital to provide assistance in collecting the case’s specimens via video conferencing technology, and arranged transport for the specimens. The specimens arrived in Taiwan on the evening of March 6, and were sent to labs at Taiwan Centers for Disease Control for further testing. Health authorities will notify Palau and the United States of test results.