The novel coronavirus has spread to its first Bangladesh national in Singapore as well as more family members in Hong Kong and Malaysia.
Singapore now has 43 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, of which six are in critical condition and in ICU.
Five of the cases are linked to a church on Paya Lebar Road, three are linked to the Grand Hyatt business meeting, and nine are linked to the Yong Thai Hang traditional Chinese medicine store on 24 Cavan Road.
Separately, a total of six previously confirmed patients have now been discharged from hospitals.
Among those in critical condition is a congregant of the Life Church and Missions Singapore, TODAY reports. The church has suspended all Chinese and English services and meetings from Feb. 7, a Facebook post said.
The 2019-nCoV has claimed nearly 1,000 lives in China, including an American citizen, with the number of confirmed cases in the country surpassing 40,000, according to data by the nation’s health committees.
In Japan, six more people, including crew members of the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Yokohama, have tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of those infected onboard the vessel to be 70. Japan has 96 confirmed cases as of Monday morning.
Three new cases were announced in Singapore last night and they involve the first Bangladesh national and two Singaporean men, aged 71 and 54. All of them tested positive for the virus on Feb. 8.
Places visited prior to hospitalization include the Mustafa Center 24-hour mall in Little India, a preschool in Kovan, and Malaysia, respectively.
The Grand Hyatt business meeting, which took place from Jan. 20 to 22, has been linked to UK gas analysis company Servomex, according to reports.
Here’s every Wuhan virus infection in Singapore on a map
Singapore remains the second most infected country outside of China as of Monday morning as the country grapples to trace contacts linked to its increasing number of infections. The Disease Outbreak Response System Condition, or DORSCON level, was raised from Yellow to Orange on Friday to formally reflect that the virus is spreading locally.
Raising the DORSCON level had spiraled numerous Singaporeans into a panic over the weekend, wiping out supermarket supplies across the island for fear that the country could potentially be on lockdown. Photos and videos posted to social media showed shelves emptied out of toilet papers, rice and, most unusually, condoms.
Hong Kong
Nearly 4,000 passengers and crew members disembarked the World Dream cruise yesterday after being docked at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Cruise Terminal for more than four days.
All 1,800 crew members who had possible contact with the eight infected people from a previous trip aboard the same vessel have tested negative for the virus. More manpower was deployed to conduct the tests, speeding up the process from what was expected to take four days to just a day, Dr Leung Yiu-hong, chief port health officer at the Centre for Health Protection, told reporters at the cruise terminal Sunday afternoon.
10 more coronavirus cases over weekend, quarantined passengers and crew cleared to leave cruise ship
Hong Kong has 36 confirmed patients as of Monday morning, with the latest cases involving a family of nine who recently had a hotpot and barbecue meal together. The family members, aged 22 to 68, include a 24-year-old man and his mother, father, grandmother, two aunts, and three cousins, South China Morning Post reports.
The city is also bracing for more infections as those from the mainland resume work after the Chinese New Year holidays. From Saturday, everyone entering Hong Kong from mainland China is required to be quarantined for 14 days. This led to long queues on the eve of the travel restriction at three of Hong Kong’s still open land entry points such as Shenzhen Bay.
Malaysia
Malaysia now has 17 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, with the latest case involving a 65-year-old woman who is the mother-in-law of the Malaysian man who contracted the virus after attending the Grand Hyatt meeting.
They had met for Chinese New Year celebrations in Malaysia from Jan. 26 to 28 and sat next to each other at the dining table, the Health Ministry announced on Sunday.
The country has also expanded its travel ban on Chinese travelers to include those from Zheijiang and Jiangsu provinces after China imposed a lockdown on some cities there.
Thailand
Thailand on Saturday announced seven new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the country’s total tally to 32. The latest infected involve three Thais and four Chinese nationals.
One of the Thais was among the 138 people evacuated from Wuhan while the other two Thais had contact with Chinese tourists.
Three of the Chinese tourists are related to families in previously confirmed cases while the remaining one tourist had come from a “risky area” in China, Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, director-general of the Disease Control Department, said.
As of Monday morning, a total of nine Thais have been infected while the rest are Chinese nationals.
Manila
The 32 Filipinos evacuated from Wuhan and arrived home on Sunday have been quarantined at the athlete’s village in New Clark City for two weeks. None of them have shown symptoms.
The country continues to test its rising number of suspect cases. As of Sunday noon, it is investigating 284 people for the virus, of whom 240 are in hospitals.
Two patients confirmed to be infected by the coronavirus have also died from other ailments, the country’s health department said.
Indonesia
Indonesia has yet to announce a single confirmed case of the coronavirus, raising suspicions about the country as its neighbors grapple with the outbreak.
A non-peer reviewed study by Harvard University researchers last week suggested that Indonesia should be confirming cases by now considering the high volume of air travel it had that came from Wuhan.
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