3 New Coronavirus Cases in S’pore; 1 Had Symptoms 8 Days Ago & Was ‘Caught’ At Health Screening

The travel restrictions might have kicked in today (29 January 2020) at noon, but with still about 2,000 people with travel history in Wuhan, it’s no surprise that we’re seeing more Wuhan virus confirmed cases here in Singapore.

And today, we’ve, unfortunately, hit the double digit: 3 new confirmed cases were announced today, bringing the total to 10.

This time, though, you might not like what you read.

3 New Coronavirus Cases in Singapore

Today (29 January 2020), MOH announced that there has been three new cases.

All three of them are Chinese nationals from Wuhan, so there has still been no community spread. Yet.

Two of them are a married couple and have arrived in Singapore on 19 January 2020. As usual, they exhibited no symptoms in the airport and remained symptom-free for five days.

On 24 January 2020, both of them developed symptoms but only took a taxi to Tan Tock Seng Hospital on 27 January 2020.

That’s like about three days later.

Once they arrived at the hospital, they were classified as suspect cases immediately and put on isolation at NCID.

Both were tested positive for the Wuhan virus soon: one was tested positive yesterday at about 11pm while the other was confirmed positive at about 2pm today.

The couple had stayed with their family in their home at Lorong Liew Lian.

Now, to the next case that’s going to make your blood boil.

The other confirmed case is a 56-year-old Chinese national who worked and lived on board a cargo vessel.

He had landed in Singapore on 20 January 2020 without any symptoms, but developed his first symptoms the next day.

And if you think the previous couple was irresponsible for letting their symptoms run for almost three days before visiting the doctor, you’d be triggered with this latest suspect.

The man was admitted to NCID on 28 January—which means he had his symptoms running for a whopping eight days without visiting the doctor. It’s unknown if the symptoms were consistent throughout, but here’s the thing:

He didn’t admit himself to the hospital himself.

Instead, he was identified as a suspect at a health screening station at Marina South Pier.

In other words, if not for the health screening station, this man could potentially still be roaming in his cargo vessel with his symptoms.

Please bring in the WTF cat.

All three of them, and the other seven confirmed cases, are in stable condition.

Update on Singapore Status

As of noon today, there are still 70 suspect cases that are pending in Singapore.

MOH is still conducting contact tracing, and has identified 144 close contacts with 115 of them still in Singapore. 111 of them have been contacted and are being quarantined or isolated, while MOH is still trying to contact the remaining 4 contacts.

And as usual, here’s MOH’s advice (my computer seemed to have a life of its own as it bolded one line automatically):

• Avoid contact with live animals including poultry and birds, and consumption of raw and undercooked meats;
• 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.

And here’s MOH’s advice as well, which is also automatically bolded by my computer: 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.

In the meantime, do remember to bookmark MOH’s website for the latest update, or subscribe to the Government’s WhatsApp service here to be kept in the loop.