Singapore confirms first case of Wuhan virus

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SINGAPORE: Singapore on January 23 announced a confirmed case of the Wuhan virus.

In a media briefing on Thursday evening, the Ministry of Health said the patient is a 66-year-old Chinese man.

The Wuhan resident, who arrived in Singapore with his family on Jan 20, flew from Guangzhou via China Southern flight CZ351.

He is currently in isolation at the Singapore General Hospital and is in stable condition.

The resident from Wuhan reported having a sore throat while on the flight but no fever. The man developed a fever the next day and began coughing.

When he went to SGH on Wednesday, he was immediately isolated, diagnosed with pneumonia and identified to MOH as a suspect case at 10pm.
He tested positive for the new coronavirus at 6pm on Thursday.
WHO to meet again later.
The outbreak has sickened more than 500 people in China and 17 patients have died from the illness, according to official reports. Wuhan, the site of the first reports is on lockdown to prevent it from spreading further.
The illness can cause pneumonia and other respiratory issues and has been compared to SARS and MERS, two other coronaviruses.
The World Health Organization is scheduled to meet again on Thursday after ending a meeting Wednesday without deciding whether to declare the illness a global health emergency.

Source: Channel News Asia