Sulianti Saroso Infectious Disease Hospital in Sunter, North Jakarta has quarantined a patient suspected of being infected with the contagious Chinese coronavirus.
The hospital said that the patient, a 35-year-old identified only by the initial R, recently traveled to China.
“[The patient] is suspected [of infection]. Once lab results show positive infection, then we can say there’s a spread. The patient is under intensive care,” the Health Ministry’s contagious disease prevention and monitoring director Wiendra Waworuntu told Kompas yesterday.
The lab results are expected to be ready in two days.
Health Minister Terawan Agus Purwanto urged the public not to panic in light of the news, but to exercise caution.
Indonesia got its first scare of the contagious Chinese coronavirus on Thursday afternoon, which led to the lockdown of a building where the office of Chinese tech company Huawei is located in the capital Jakarta.
An employee of Huawei Tech Investment, who had recently returned from a trip to China, was suspected of exhibiting fever symptoms. The office management told Coconuts the man was taken to hospital where he was later diagnosed with laryngitis.
Huawei’s headquarters is located in the Chinese city of Shenzhen, where several suspected cases of the virus have been reported.
Meanwhile, authorities in Bali, a popular holiday destination for Chinese tourists, are stepping up precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
As the Wuhan coronavirus continues to spread, the death toll in China has risen to 25, and the number of confirmed cases jumped to 830, its National Health Commission announced today.
One of the 25 deaths was reported in Hebei province, outside the province where Wuhan, the city where the outbreak reportedly began, is located.
China has also expanded its lockdown to include more cities near Wuhan, including Huanggang and Ezhou, affecting upward of 20 million people. Chinese New Year celebrations have also been canceled in the country, including Beijing’s major festivities.
The World Health Organization said yesterday the outbreak does not yet constitute a global health emergency, citing a limited number of cases abroad.
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