Samples from 22 people taken as cases rise to 18
The Health Ministry has taken samples from 22 individuals who had been in close contact with a Malaysian who is the 18th novel coronavirus positive case.
Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said three of them were the man’s mother, younger sibling and a cousin, while 19 others were medical staff who had tended to him.
“The 22 individuals have been identified as people who were in close proximity with the patient.
“We conducted the necessary contact tracing procedures on these individuals and they will be put under close surveillance,” Dr Dzulkefly told a press conference here.
Earlier yesterday, the ministry revealed the 31-year-old man had travelled to Macau for work and returned to Malaysia on Feb 1.
“He then fell ill and started coughing on Feb 3, to which he went to a clinic to seek treatment.
“He was given medication but on Feb 7, he had still not recovered and was referred to Banting Hospital for a follow-up.
“He was then sent to the Sungai Buloh Hospital where he tested positive for 2019-nCoV on Sunday,” said Dr Dzulkefly.
The man was also found suffering from Severe to be Acute
Respiratory Infection, which required intensive monitoring.
So far, out of the 18 positive 2019nCoV cases recorded in Malaysia, 12 of them are China nationals while six are Malaysians.
Dzulkefly said three of them had been discharged after recovering from the virus following multiple tests, which came back negative.
The three are Chinese citizens – a four-year-old girl, a 40-year-old man and a 63-year-old man – who were discharged from Langkawi Hospital, Permai Hospital in Johor and Kuala Lumpur Hospital.
Dr Dzulkefly said that all the Malaysians who tested positive are stable and closely monitored by medical staff.
On the possibility of relapse among patients who tested negative for the coronavirus, he said the ministry would continue to monitor them.
“Relapses could happen but from our observation of the patients, we have not seen anything to indicate that might happen,” he said.
“Once your body recovers from this virus, you have enough immunity to fight it,” he added.
“The fact you have gone from positive to negative shows that your body has had enough of it.”