Ship Crew Passed Through Singapore To Malaysia, 4 Covid-19 Cases Among Them
Even with travel restrictions put in place to safeguard our health, the possibility of imported cases is very real.
According to the Malaysian Health Ministry, a cluster of 4 asymptomatic cases was found in a vessel that had docked in Port Dickson in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia on Monday (31 Aug).
Rather worryingly, the ship had arrived from Singapore.
Image for illustration purposes.
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The 4 cases may not be the only ones, as 24 more tests are still pending. So far, 6 cases were declared Covid-19 free.
24 crew tests pending results
34 crew members was screened on 28 Aug.
Out of the crew members, 4 tested positive, 6 cleared of the virus, and the remaining 24 tests are still pending results.
They added that among the confirmed cases, 2 were Malaysians and 2 were foreign nationals.
Ship was in Singapore before heading to Port Dickson
In a Facebook update dated Monday (31 Aug), health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the ship had a “history of travel from (the) port of Singapore”.
Dr Noor further added that the cause of the infections is under investigation.
Risk of Covid-19 transmission to surrounding community from ship unlikely
Thankfully, the cases seem to be isolated to the cluster within the ship, reports The Straits Times.
The crew members were quarantined in a hotel before they were transferred to Sungai Buloh Hospital for treatment.
As a result, the possibility of transmission to the surrounding community is slim.
We assume that the other crew members are currently quarantined as well.
According to the health ministry, they’ve disinfected and cleaned the ship.
Caution is key to safety
Thankfully, Malaysian authorities contained the ship cluster and spotted the cases before they could spread in the community.
This incident shows that the virus can spread even with travel restrictions in place.
As such, we should always apply caution, especially if we’re leaving the country.
MS News wishes the crew members a speedy recovery.
Featured image adapted from Agoda
