More Singaporeans and Malaysians are being infected by the Chinese coronavirus, including a 6-month-old boy who became Singapore’s youngest infected patient.
Though it has yet to be declared a pandemic, the outbreak is picking up steam outside of China, with more locally transmitted cases being reported. As travel is further restricted in response, thousands of travelers are becoming stranded on cruise ships and at airports.
Singapore’s health ministry last night announced another four confirmed cases, three of which were linked to a health products store where the island’s first domestic transmissions took place.
Among the three infected was Singapore’s youngest patient so far, the 6-month-old son of a female employee of the Yong Thai Hang store who had tested positive Monday. Her husband, a 45-year-old Singaporean, tested positive yesterday.
A 40-year-old Singaporean man on Tuesday was confirmed to have the virus, yesterday’s announcement said. He had come into contact with the same tour group who had visited the store, which is frequented by Chinese travelers. The man met the group, which hailed from Guangxi province, when they visited his workplace at the Diamond Industries Jewellery Company at Harbour Drive.
The fourth new case announced Wednesday was a tourist from Wuhan who arrived in Singapore on Jan. 21. Her mother was among previously confirmed cases.
The tour guide who tested positive this week was revealed yesterday to be a Singapore citizen living in Buangkok Green.
The coronavirus 2019-nCoV has now infected more than 28,000 people and killed at least 564 in China, according to current reports from that nation’s various health committees.
Transmission fears and travel bans have left nearly 10,000 travelers stranded across Asia.
Twenty people including a Filipino crew member aboard the Carnival’s Diamond Princess now docked in Yokohama, Japan, have tested positive for the virus. The 3,700 passengers are expected to remain quarantined for two weeks. About 5,000 Chinese tourists have been stranded at Bali’s airport after being caught unaware of a travel ban.
It has also spread to nearly 30 other countries including Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong, where it is spreading locally.
Nearly 4,000 cruise ship passengers were put under quarantine in Hong Kong’s Kowloon Bay on Thursday because three individuals tested positive for the virus.
The infected patients were part of a group who had traveled on board the vessel from Guangzhou to Vietnam late last month. The group then set off with a new group of passengers on Sunday for Taiwan only to be denied entry and quarantined in Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s chief executive announced a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all arrivals from mainland China. Three more in Hong Kong have been infected, bringing the tally to at least 21 cases.
The Philippines yesterday announced its third confirmed case of the coronavirus involving a 60-year-old Chinese woman who has already departed the country.
The woman had gone to the hospital with a fever but tested negative and was thought to have recovered. Additional results came out Monday showing she was positive for the virus, but she had already flown out on Friday. She had arrived via Hong Kong last month.
More than 500 Filipinos were among those quarantined at a dock in Yokohama, Japan, for two weeks aboard Carnival’s Diamond Princess. One Filipino crewmember was among the 20 to test positive for the virus.
The country has also asked citizens scheduled to arrive from China on Saturday to postpone their return until Monday because more time is needed to prepare quarantine facilities at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.
More infected Malaysians are emerging, with the latest two cases involving citizens recently repatriated from Wuhan.
The cases involve a 45-year-old man and his 9-year-old son, who are now in isolated care at Hospital Tuanku Jaafar in Seremban.
They were among more than 100 Malaysians evacuated from Wuhan who landed Tuesday morning at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
The first Thai national to become infected has recovered from the virus and yesterday was paraded before the media. Jaimuay Sae-ung, who became ill after traveling to Wuhan, said she did not visit the now-closed seafood market where the virus’ origins have been traced.
The 73-year-old told reporters she only ate clean food at restaurants and avoided street food.
Indonesia’s Bali yesterday rejected a Timor Leste request to quarantine citizens yet to be repatriated from China.
Minister Xanana Gusmao said his country lacked adequate facilities to handle cases of the novel coronavirus and was seeking help. However, Indonesia said it has to abide by president Joko Widodo’s order restricting travelers to and from China.
At the same time this week, around 5,000 Chinese travelers became stranded at Bali’s airport and had to be granted one-month visa extensions, Bloomberg reports. The government reportedly said Tuesday that the extensions were given as most of them were on short tourist visas and caught unaware by the flight ban.
Indonesia has yet to report any confirmed cases.
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