SINGAPORE, Jan 30 — The Ministry of Health (MoH) has confirmed three more cases of the Wuhan coronavirus in Singapore, bringing the total number of cases here to 13.
In a press release today, the MoH said that the three new confirmed cases are all Chinese nationals from Wuhan who had travelled to Singapore.
“There is currently no evidence of community spread in Singapore,” said the MoH.
The 11th case is a 31-year-old female Chinese national from Wuhan who arrived in Singapore on January 22. She was a travelling companion of the fourth confirmed case here, who was a 36-year-old male Chinese national.
The woman is currently warded in an isolation room at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID).
The MoH said the case reported that she was asymptomatic during her flight to Singapore.
She was identified as a close contact of the fourth confirmed case and had been quarantined from January 26.
She then developed symptoms on January 27, and was admitted to the NCID.
“Subsequent test results confirmed Wuhan coronavirus infection on January 29 at about 11pm,” said the MoH.
The 12th confirmed case is a 37-year-old female Chinese national from Wuhan who arrived in Singapore with her family on January 22.
She is currently warded in an isolation room at the NCID.
The case reported that she was asymptomatic during her flight to Singapore.
She subsequently developed symptoms on January 26. She took a taxi to Tan Tock Seng Hospital on January 29, and was classified as a suspect case and immediately isolated at NCID.
Subsequent test results confirmed Wuhan coronavirus infection on January 29 at about 11pm.
Prior to her hospital admission, the woman stayed at Village Hotel Sentosa, Hotel 81 Princess and Home Suite View Hotel in Geylang. She had also indicated that she had visited Orchard Road and Geylang, and had travelled by taxi.
“The risk of infection from transient contact, such as on public transport or in public places, is assessed to be low,” said MoH.
The 13th confirmed case is a 73-year-old female Chinese national who arrived in Singapore from Wuhan with her family on January 21.
She tested positive for Wuhan coronavirus infection on January 30 at about 2pm, and is currently warded in an isolation room at NCID. Her condition is stable.
The MoH has since initiated epidemiological investigations and contact tracing to identify individuals who had close contact with the new confirmed cases.
The three new cases are stable currently, said the MoH, adding that the ministry is continuing to monitor their health.
“As for the 10 previously announced cases, none is critically ill. All of them remain in stable condition, and most are improving,” said the MoH.
As of midday on Thursday, 164 of the suspect cases have tested negative for the Wuhan coronavirus, and 13 have tested positive, with case 13 being confirmed at about 2pm that day.
Test results for the remaining 49 cases are pending, said the MoH.
Contact tracing ongoing
Contact tracing for the confirmed cases is ongoing, said the MoH.
Once identified, MoH will closely monitor all close contacts.
As a precautionary measure, they will be quarantined for 14 days from their last exposure to the patient. In addition, all other identified contacts who have a low risk of being infected will be under active surveillance, and will be contacted daily to monitor their health status.
As of midday today, MoH has identified 170 close contacts. Of the 139 who are still in Singapore, 135 have been contacted and are being quarantined or isolated.
Efforts are ongoing to contact the remaining four close contacts.
Health advisory
Singaporeans are advised to defer all travel to Hubei province and all non-essential travel to mainland China, said the MoH.
All travellers should also monitor their health closely for two weeks upon return to Singapore and seek medical attention promptly if they feel unwell.
Travellers should inform their doctor of their travel history, and If they have a fever or respiratory symptoms, they should wear a mask and call the clinic ahead of the visit.
The MoH added that it will continue to monitor the situation closely.
“As medical practitioners are on the lookout for cases with pneumonia who have recently been in China, Singapore is likely to see more suspect cases that will need to be investigated for possible links to the Wuhan cluster,” said the MoH. — TODAY
