It’s been four days since Singapore discovered one of our first Wuhan virus cases — a 66-year-old man afflicted with a coronavirus linked to pneumonia. Now, he’s part of the tally of a total of 92 suspected cases in our country since 23 Jan.
As our nation conducts the quarantine and contact-tracing process for all 4 confirmed patients, China has also warned of a rapider pace at which the pathogen may spread, despite efforts to contain the outbreak.
Here’s all that transpired based on last night’s updates around the world.
Although this number may sound scary, about 46 of these cases have already tested negative for the Wuhan virus — while 4 tested positive, as announced by the Ministry of Health (MOH).
We’ll have to await the results of the 42 remaining cases as they are “pending”, reports The Straits Times (ST).
The fourth patient diagnosed on 25 Jan with the Wuhan virus reportedly visited these tourist destinations, according to ST.
He had also taken “public transport” & a taxi ride. Meanwhile, 9 “close contacts” of the patient & 7 hotel staff have been been identified & quarantined.
MOH has assured Singaporeans that the risk of infection from “transient contact” – defined as public transport & spaces – is considered “low”.
However, China’s National Health Commission has also issued a warning to adjust the expectations of their citizens with regard to the “transmission ability” of the virus.
We’ve covered how hidden carriers, and the exodus of 5 million Wuhan citizens before the city’s transport was placed on lockdown, contributed to that in this article here.
In the unlikely case that the Wuhan virus – which experts say appears to be less deadly than the SARS virus for now – becomes a pandemic on a global scale, we must remember that undue panic will not help to ensure our loved ones remain safe.
There are 5 simple steps we can take in the interim as we await further updates:
In other words, stay vigilant everyone. The only way to get through this is to stay united in these trying times for the world.
Featured image adapted from Google Maps.
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