Eight people have been isolated at a hotel in Johor Baru, Malaysia, to be screened for symptoms related to the Wuhan pneumonia.
Screened for symptoms of the virus
The group of eight are currently being monitored by health officers at the hotel.
In an official statement by Malaysia's Ministry of Health (KKM), Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) reached out to KKM to inform them of the eight people who have been in close contact with the first confirmed case in Singapore.
They also informed the Malaysian authorities that the eight went to Johor Bahru.
Together with the first Singapore case
The eight people include four adults and four children. They are all Chinese nationals.
The first case of the Wuhan pneumonia in Singapore was confirmed on Jan. 23.
The carrier is a 66-year-old Chinese national, who had arrived in Singapore with nine travelling companions on Jan. 20.
Johor's health department has since taken immediate action to identify all eight of them.
Clinical samples have also been taken, and will be tested for the coronavirus causing the Wuhan pneumonia.
Johor's health department will continue to monitor their health levels daily for 14 days or until they all return to their country, whichever comes first.
In a report by Malaysian news website The Star, Malaysian Deputy Health Minister Lee Boon Chye added that the eight are “not patients” and are “just being observed in case they develop any symptoms.”
Three confirmed cases in Singapore
There are currently three confirmed cases in Singapore. The other two patients are a 53-year-old female Chinese national and a 37-year-old male Chinese national.
The 37-year-old is the son of Singapore’s first confirmed Wuhan case.
All three confirmed cases are Wuhan residents.
As of Jan. 24, there are 44 suspect cases in Singapore, aged between one and 78 years old.
Of these, 13 of them have been confirmed to be clear of the virus. Test results of the remaining 28 cases are pending.
KKM also said that there are no cases in Malaysia so far as of Jan. 24, 2020, and four suspected cases on Jan. 23 have all been tested negative.
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Top photo via KEMENTERIAN KESIHATAN MALAYSIA's official website