Coronavirus: Singapore confirms two new infections; one has no known link to previous cases
- Health authorities said contact tracing was underway to establish a connection between the new case and the city state’s other infections
- The condition of two previously-diagnosed patients has worsened; one is in critical condition in intensive care and the other requires additional oxygen support
The new cases brought Singapore’s total infections to 30 and the health ministry also confirmed the condition of two patients previously diagnosed had deteriorated.
One patient is now in critical condition in intensive care and another requires additional oxygen support, the ministry said.
Contact tracing for the new 41-year-old patient was ongoing as officials sought to establish a connection with past cases or Chinese travellers who may have carried the coronavirus known as 2019-nCoV.
The Singapore citizen was admitted to hospital on February 3 and was diagnosed with the virus on February 5. He reported that he had developed a fever on January 28 and sought treatment at two general practitioner clinics on January 29 and 30.
Several overseas participants from Malaysia and South Korea have since tested positive for the virus and three other Singaporeans who attended the meeting are also being checked.
“Thus far all our previously announced confirmed cases have been either PRC travellers from Hubei, or individuals with links to PRC [Chinese] travellers,” the ministry said in a statement.
“All such cases have been isolated and ring-fenced. But we must be prepared for the possibility of new infection clusters involving locals within the community, not linked with recent travel to China or contact with recent PRC travellers.
“This has already happened in several places outside of mainland China.”
The ministry has identified 435 close contacts linked to the previous confirmed cases. Many have left Singapore but 348 have been contacted and quarantined while authorities work to locate the others.
“Singaporeans are advised to defer all travel to Hubei province and all non-essential travel to mainland China,” the ministry said.
Both cases confirmed on Thursday are in isolation at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases. The ministry said that of the 28 previous cases, one has been discharged. As of Thursday 12pm, 310 suspected cases had tested negative for the virus while tests for 147 suspected cases were pending.
Meanwhile, Vietnam on Thursday said it had confirmed two new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the country’s total to 12. Both the new cases are Vietnamese nationals from the northern province of Vinh Phuc and had close contact with previously detected patients, the health ministry said in a statement.
