Four more cases discharged; three new confirmed cases of Novel Coronavirus Infection

1.     Four more confirmed cases of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infection have been discharged from hospital today. In all, six have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospital.
2.     As of 9 February 2020, 12pm, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed three additional cases of 2019-nCoV infection in Singapore. Contact tracing of the new cases is underway.
3.     Of the 22 locally transmitted cases, epidemiological investigations and contact tracing have uncovered links between 15 of the cases with the three currently known clusters. Contact tracing is underway for the other seven locally transmitted cases, including those confirmed today, to establish if they are linked to previous cases or persons with travel history to mainland China.

About the confirmed cases

Case 41
4.     Case 41 is a 71 year-old male Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China. He is currently warded in an isolation room at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID).
5.     He reported onset of symptoms on 1 February, and had visited a general practitioner (GP) clinic on the same day, and again on 5 February. He sought treatment at Hougang Polyclinic on 6 February, and at Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s emergency department on 7 February where he was immediately isolated. Subsequent test results confirmed 2019-nCoV infection on 8 February afternoon.
6.     Prior to hospital admission, he had visited Paya Lebar Methodist Church (5 Boundary Road), and a gathering at Braddell Heights Residents’ Committee. He had also picked up his grandchild outside Pat’s Schoolhouse Kovan (755 Upper Serangoon Road). He stays at Upper Serangoon Road.

Case 42
7.     Case 42 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 1 February, and had sought treatment at a GP clinic on 3 February, and at Changi General Hospital (CGH) on 5 February. He went for a follow-up appointment at Bedok Polyclinic on 7 February and was thereafter admitted to the intensive care unit at CGH. Subsequent test results confirmed 2019-nCoV infection on 8 February afternoon, and he was transferred to NCID.
9.     Prior to hospital admission, he had visited Mustafa Centre (145 Syed Alwi Road), and stayed at The Leo dormitory (25 Kaki Bukit Road).

Case 43
10.     Case 43 is a 54 year-old male Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China. He was in Malaysia on 26 January. He is currently warded in an isolation room at Sengkang General Hospital (SKH).
11.     He reported onset of symptoms on 30 January, and had visited two GP clinics on 30 January, 5 February and 6 February. He sought treatment at SKH on 6 February and was warded in an isolation room on 7 February. Subsequent test results confirmed 2019-nCoV infection on 8 February night.
12.     Prior to hospital admission, he had stayed at home, except for trips to seek medical treatment and once to work at Resorts World Sentosa. He lives at Fernvale Close.

Update on condition of confirmed cases
13.     Of the remaining 37 who are still in hospital, most are stable or improving. Six are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
Update on suspect cases
14.     As of 9 February 2020, 12pm, 516 of the suspect cases have tested negative for 2019-nCoV, and 43 have tested positive. Test results for the remaining 98 cases are pending.

Update on contact tracing for confirmed cases
15.     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.
16.     As of 9 February 2020, 12pm, MOH has identified 989 close contacts. Of the 892 who are still in Singapore, 845 have been contacted and are being quarantined or isolated. Efforts are ongoing to contact the remaining 47 close contacts.

Health advisory
17.     Singaporeans are advised to defer all travel to Hubei Province and all non-essential travel to Mainland China.
18.     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.
19.     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.
20.     MOH will continue to monitor the situation closely. As medical practitioners are on the lookout for suspect cases who have recently been in China, Singapore is likely to see more cases that will need to be investigated.
MINISTRY OF HEALTH
9 FEBRUARY 2020