Two more cases discharged; two new cases of novel coronavirus infection confirmed

          Two more confirmed cases of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infection have been discharged from hospital today. In all, nine have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospital.

2.            As of 11 February 2020, 12pm, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed and verified two additional cases of 2019-nCoV infection in Singapore. Of these, one was a contact of Case 42¹. Contact tracing of the other case is underway.

3.            Of the 25 locally transmitted cases, epidemiological investigations and contact tracing have uncovered links between 15 of the cases with the three currently known clusters². Contact tracing is underway for the other 10 locally transmitted cases to establish if they are linked to previous cases or persons with travel history to mainland China.

About the confirmed cases

Case 46

4.            Case 46 is a 35 year-old male Singapore Permanent Resident with no recent travel history to China. He lives in Johor Bahru and works in Singapore. He is currently warded in an isolation room at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID).

5.            He reported onset of symptoms on 5 February, and had sought treatment at a general practitioner (GP) clinic on 9 February. He was transferred to Tan Tock Seng Hospital via an ambulance on the same day, and was immediately isolated. Subsequent test results confirmed 2019-nCoV infection on 10 February afternoon.

6.                  Prior to hospital admission, he had gone to work at Resorts World Sentosa Casino (8 Sentosa Gateway). 

Case 47

7.            Case 47 is a 39 year-old male Bangladesh national who is a Singapore Work Pass holder, and has no recent travel history to China. He is currently warded in an isolation room at NCID.

8.            He reported onset of symptoms on 6 February, and sought treatment at a GP clinic on 7 February. He went to NCID on 10 February, and test results confirmed 2019-nCoV infection on 10 February afternoon.

9.            Prior to hospital admission, he had gone to work at 8 Seletar Aerospace Heights, the same location where Case 42 had worked. He reported that he had stayed at his rental apartment at Veerasamy Road since the onset of symptoms, except to visit the GP clinic.

Update on condition of confirmed cases

10.         To date, a total of nine cases have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospital. Of the 38 confirmed cases who are still in hospital, most are stable or improving. Seven are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

Update on suspect cases

11.         As of 11 February 2020, 12pm, 608 of the suspect cases have tested negative for 2019-nCoV, and 47 have tested positive. Test results for the remaining 43 cases are pending.

Update on contact tracing for confirmed cases

12.         Contact tracing for the confirmed cases is ongoing. 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.

13.         As of 11 February 2020, 12pm, MOH has identified 1,124 close contacts. Of the 1,021 who are still in Singapore, 989 have been contacted and are being quarantined or isolated. Efforts are ongoing to contact the remaining 32 close contacts.

Health advisory

14.         Singaporeans are advised to defer all travel to Hubei Province and all non-essential travel to Mainland China.

15.         All travellers should 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. If they have a fever or respiratory symptoms (e.g. cough, shortness of breath), they should wear a mask and call the clinic ahead of the visit.

16.         Travellers and members of the public should adopt the following precautions at all times:

• Avoid close contact with people who are unwell or showing symptoms of illness;
  

• Observe good personal hygiene;

• Practise frequent hand washing with soap (e.g. before handling food or eating, after going to toilet, or when hands are dirtied by respiratory secretions after coughing or sneezing);

• Wear a mask if you have respiratory symptoms such as a cough or shortness of breath;

• Cover your mouth with a tissue paper when coughing or sneezing, and dispose the soiled tissue paper in the rubbish bin immediately; and

• Seek medical attention promptly if you are feeling unwell.

17.         MOH will continue to monitor the situation closely. As medical practitioners are on the lookout for suspect cases, Singapore is likely to see more cases that will need to be investigated.

[1] Case 42 is a 39 year-old male Bangladesh national who was confirmed to have 2019-nCoV infection on 8 February.

[2] The known clusters are linked to The Life Church and Missions Singapore, Yong Thai Hang and the private business meeting held at Grand Hyatt Singapore from 20 to 22 January.