Singapore confirms 4 more cases of Wuhan coronavirus, 3 of which linked to local transmission

Singapore confirmed four new cases of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infection on Wednesday, February 5. This brings the total number of infected cases in the country to 28.

Of these, three cases are linked to the cluster of local transmission announced on February 4, and one is an imported case involving a Chinese tourist from Wuhan.

There is as yet no evidence of widespread community transmission in Singapore, said Ministry of Health (MOH) in a statement. 

Negative Pressure Rooms at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases. Photo courtesy: NCID
Negative Pressure Rooms at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases. Photo courtesy: NCID

Case 25: A 40 year-old male Singapore Citizen who has no recent travel history to China. He is the husband of Case 24, a 32 year-old female Singapore Citizen. 

The man reported that he developed a fever on 24 January. He visited Hougang Polyclinic with his wife on January 30, and self-presented at NCID on February 3, where he was immediately isolated. 

Prior to hospital admission, the case stayed at his home at Buangkok Green. He worked at Diamond Industries Jewellery Company at Harbour Drive which was visited by the same tour group from Guangxi. He indicated that he had visited Pasir Panjang Hawker Centre and had travelled by public transport. 

Case 26: A 42 year-old female Chinese national who arrived in Singapore from Wuhan on January 21. She is the daughter of Case 13. As she was symptomatic, she was conveyed by ambulance to NCID on the same day as her mother, and immediately isolated. 

Cases 27 and 28: They are family members of Case 19 and have no recent travel history to China. 

Case 27 is a 45 year-old male Singapore Citizen who is the husband of Case 19. Case 28 is a six month-old male Singapore Citizen who is the child of Cases 19 and 27. 

Diamond Industries Jewellery Company. Photo courtesy: Vu Hao Tran
Diamond Industries Jewellery Company. Photo courtesy: Vu Hao Tran

MOH said in its statement that the local cluster of transmission (involving Cases 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 27 and 28) can be traced to contact with a tour group from Guangxi . The group comprised 20 tourists who visited Singapore from January 22 to 23, and on 27 January 27 (transit from 3 to 6am).

Health authorities in China have confirmed that two travellers from the group have since been confirmed with 2019-nCoV infection.

The places that the tour group visited include: Yong Thai Hang (24 Cavan Road), Diamond Industries Jewellery Company (Harbour Drive), Meeting You Restaurant (14 Hamilton Road), Royal Dragon Restaurant (2 Havelock Road), T Galleria by DFS (25 Scotts Road) and D’Resort @ Downtown East (1 Pasir Ris Close).

MOH has reached out to 142 contacts at these places, and all but one are well. The person has been isolated as a suspect case and test results are pending.