KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 30 — The Health Ministry confirmed a new novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infection today, bringing the country’s total to eight.
According to health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, the latest incident involved an individual who was in close contact with the seventh confirmed patient.
“The eighth case is a Chinese national aged 49 who was admitted to the isolation ward in Hospital Permai, Johor and is reportedly in stable condition,” he said in a statement.
Dr Noor Hisham said health workers examined 89 persons-under-investigation (PUIs) from January 10 to 29, resulting in 81 being cleared, five still under observation and three confirmed infections.
All eight infected are Chinese nationals.
The ministry has also identified 32 people who have been in close contact with the infected, and placed them all under compulsory observation and isolation. The entire group is in stable condition and 27 have already tested negative for the 2019-nCoV.
The Health DG added that authorities were cooperating to identify more suspected cases and implementing measures to minimise the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Among others, he said students and lecturers returning from their holidays in China will be placed under home surveillance and issued health warning cards as well as home assessment tools.
The 78 Malaysians the government is working to bring home from Wuhan, China will also be screened, tested and quarantined for two weeks, he added.
This morning, China confirmed that its death toll from the 2019-nCoV epidemic has risen to 170 while the number of verified infections grew to 7,711.
Global health officials will meet today to discuss possibly declaring an international health emergency, after the virus continued appearing in new locations despite efforts to contain it in Wuhan that is believed to be the source.
The 2019-nCoV has now been confirmed in 20 countries spanning Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America.
