Coronavirus: Singapore confirms 2 more cases, bringing total to 30

SINGAPORE - Two more cases of the coronavirus infection were confirmed by the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Thursday (Feb 6).

This brings the total number of confirmed cases in Singapore to 30, of which 11 are Singaporeans.

One of the new cases is a close contact of a previously confirmed case. The second case announced on Thursday has no recent travel history to mainland China and does not appear to be linked with previous cases.

The second case was confirmed late on Wednesday night and contact tracing is still in progress, with a focus on identifying any links it may have with past cases or travellers from China.

So far, all previously announced confirmed cases have been either Chinese nationals from Hubei, or individuals with links to travellers who are Chinese nationals.

All of these cases have been isolated and ring-fenced, said MOH.

"But we must be prepared for the possibility of new infection clusters involving locals within the community, not linked with recent travel to China or contact with recent PRC travellers," said the ministry.

The two new cases announced on Thursday are in stable condition. Of the remaining cases, 25 are stable or improving, and one has been discharged.

But the condition of two cases has worsened. One is now in critical condition in the intensive care unit, and another requires additional oxygen support.

DETAILS ON NEW CASES

First case: He is a 41 year-old Singaporean who did not travel to China recently and, for now, does not appear to have links to previous cases.

He was admitted to Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital on Monday. He was confirmed to be infected on Wednesday night.

He was transferred to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) for further treatment and is warded in an isolation room.

The man developed a fever on Jan 28 and visited a general practitioner clinic the next day.

He sought treatment at another GP clinic on Jan 30 before he was admitted to Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital on Monday.

Epidemiological investigations and contact tracing are being done to identify people who had close contact with the case, and to establish any link he may have had with confirmed cases in Singapore or travellers from mainland China.

MOH said it is interviewing the patient and his close contacts, and investigating the locations he had recently been to.

Second case: He is a 27-year-old male Singaporean who also has no recent travel history to mainland China.

He is one of the four Singapore residents being investigated at NCID after attending a conference at the Grand Hyatt Singapore hotel from Jan 20 to 22.

The private business meeting included participants from China, including Hubei. Also at the event were two South Korean men and one Malaysian man confirmed to be infected after they left Singapore.

The 27-year-old Singaporean who attended the same conference was confirmed to have the coronavirus infection on Thursday. He is  warded in an isolation room at NCID.

After Japan's 45 cases, Singapore has the second highest number of coronavirus infections outside of China.

On Wednesday, four cases of the coronavirus infection were confirmed by MOH, including the youngest patient confirmed so far, a six-month-old baby who is the child of an infected couple. The couple's maid was also infected.

Three of Wednesday's cases are linked to a cluster of local transmissions - the first here - announced on Tuesday. The last case is an imported one involving a Chinese tourist from China's Wuhan city.

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The cluster is linked to a group of 20 tourists from Guangxi, China, that visited health products shop Yong Thai Hang in Cavan Road in Lavender. With the cases announced on Wednesday, the number of cases linked to the tour group is now seven.

MOH said the Chinese health authorities have confirmed that two travellers from the tour group have the coronavirus infection.

The coronavirus, known as 2019-nCov, first emerged in Wuhan in December last year and has so far proven to be more infectious than Sars.

As of Thursday, the outbreak has infected more than 28,000 people and killed more than 560, with Hong Kong reporting its first death from the coronavirus on Tuesday, the second fatality outside mainland China.

The deceased was a 39-year-old man with an underlying illness. He had taken the high-speed train from Hong Kong to Wuhan city in Hubei province, and from Changsha in Hunan province to Hong Kong last month.

Most of the deaths from the virus occurred in central Hubei province.

On Wednesday, three business travellers - a Malaysian and two South Koreans - linked to a conference at the Grand Hyatt Singapore they attended last month, were reported to have tested positive for the coronavirus.

On Thursday, Malaysia said the sister of the infected Malaysian man was confirmed to have tested positive for the coronavirus, after coming into direct contact with him when he returned home.

Singapore's MOH did not reveal how, where or when the three were infected, according to Grand Hyatt Singapore.

The ministry said 109 people attended the event at the hotel, including 15 Singapore residents. The remaining 94 overseas participants have left Singapore.

The development has prompted a World Health Organization investigation into the case.

In the wake of the outbreak, a growing number of countries including Italy, the United States, Australia, Singapore, Japan and Russia have put in place travel restrictions. Germany, France and the US have evacuated citizens from China.

Several major airlines have also halted flights to and from China, deepening concerns of a widespread economic slowdown.

In Singapore, measures to combat the outbreak include mask distribution at residents' committee centres and community centres island-wide, which began last Saturday.

The Government announced on Jan 30 that all 1.3 million households in Singapore would be given a pack of four masks each amid reports of shops running out of stocks.

On Tuesday, the Government also said that large gatherings and communal activities, such as assemblies and excursions, will be suspended at schools, pre-schools and eldercare facilities here from Wednesday after the first local transmissions of the coronavirus were reported.

For the latest updates on the Wuhan virus, visit here.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.