Three new Wuhan Virus cases in Singapore have been confirmed on Thursday (30 Jan), the Ministry of Health announced in a press statement.
Despite the continued increase of confirmed cases here, the government said there is “currently no evidence of community spread in Singapore.”
Image Source: Screenshot from Facebook/Ministry of Health, Singapore
The new cases bring the total of confirmed cases of the deadly virus to 13 here in Singapore. It inched to 10 confirmed cases on Wednesday (29 Jan).
Wuhan Virus cases in Singapore
The three new cases of the Wuhan Virus here are all Chinese nationals who arrived in Singapore from Wuhan.
The 11th case is 31-year-old female who arrived in Singapore on 22 Jan, and travelling companion of the fourth confirmed case here. The patient is currently warded in an isolation room at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID).
She was said to be asymptomatic during her flight to Singapore and was identified as a close contact of the fourth confirmed case. She had been quarantined from 26 Jan and developed symptoms the next day when she was subsequently admitted to NCID.
A 37-year-old female Chinese national from Wuhan who arrived in Singapore with her family on 22 Jan was identified as the 12th case here. She is currently warded in an isolation room at the NCID.
Also said to be asymptomatic during her flight to Singapore, she subsequently developed symptoms on 26 Jan. She was said to have taken a taxi to Tan Tock Seng Hospital on 29 Jan where she was classified as a suspect case and immediately isolated at NCID.
According to MOH, the 12th case stayed at Village Hotel Sentosa (10 Artillery Avenue), Hotel 81 Princess (21 Lorong 12 Geylang) and Home Suite View Hotel (12 Lorong 12 Geylang) prior to hospital admission. She indicated that she had visited Orchard Road and Geylang, and had travelled by taxi.
The health ministry, however, said that the risk of infection from transient contact, such as on public transport or in public places, is assessed to be low.
The 13th confirmed case is a 73-year-old female Chinese national who arrived in Singapore from Wuhan with her family on 21 Jan. She was tested positive for the virus on Thursday (30 Jan).
All three new cases are warded in isolation rooms at the NCID, and are in stable condition, according to MOH.
Contact tracing for the confirmed cases is ongoing, it added.
Updates on previously announced Wuhan Virus cases in Singapore
As of 30 Jan, the MOH said it has identified a total of 170 close contacts, of whom 139 are still in Singapore, 135 have been contacted and are being quarantined or isolated. Efforts are ongoing to contact the remaining four close contacts.
“As for the 10 previously announced cases, none are critically ill. All of them are in stable condition and most are improving,” the ministry added.
Singapore’s first case of the deadly virus that originated in the Hubei Province in China was confirmed on 23 January. The government has put in place various precautionary and preventative measures for the novel coronavirus.
All households to be given 4 face masks each
Amid worries over the continued spread of the Wuhan virus globally, the Singapore Government also announced that Singapore households will be given four surgical masks each, which will be made available progressively from Saturday (1 Feb).
All 1.37 million households will be receiving the masks that are part of the national stockpile in this one-time direct-to-public exercise.
The government also urges the public to adopt good personal hygiene to help protect from contracting the virus.