A worker wearing a protective mask and goggles stands in front of a hospital entrance in Taipei, Taiwan, on Monday, May 17, 2021. (BILLY H. C. KWOK / BLOOMBERG)

Taiwan’s death toll jumped for a second day as the spreading COVID-19 outbreak showed no sign of letting up after two weeks of soft lockdown measures.

Taiwan also added 166 new infections to previous daily tallies, its smallest backlog of cases since it first began revising past totals a week ago

Health authorities reported a record 21 deaths and 320 newly confirmed domestic cases, according to a statement from the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control on Saturday. Nineteen of the people who died had chronic underlying health conditions, Central Epidemic Command Center adviser Chang Shan-chwen said at a briefing in Taipei.

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Taiwan also added 166 new infections to previous daily tallies, its smallest backlog of cases since it first began revising past totals a week ago. The shrinking backlog indicates authorities appear to be getting a grip on testing delays that have forced them to continually revise figures.

Taiwan is battling its worst outbreak of COVID-19, having made it through 2020 with few deaths or infections. The soft lockdown has shuttered schools, bars and most public facilities, with restaurants only allowed to serve takeout.

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Officials have been working to speed up testing and reporting of results to avoid having to repeatedly tweak previous infection totals. The delays had made it more difficult to accurately analyze the infection curve, and in turn the effectiveness of containment measures.