Coronavirus: Malaysia confirms first infected citizen as Thailand reports six new cases, including four Thais

The 41-year-old Malaysian man had travelled to Singapore last month for a meeting with a colleague from Wuhan
The six cases in Thailand, meanwhile, include four Thai nationals – two drivers who had picked up Chinese passengers and a couple who had visited Japan

Coronavirus Malaysia

Reuters

Published: 3:15pm, 4 Feb 2020

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Malaysia on Tuesday confirmed the first citizen to be infected with the new coronavirus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 10, as Thailand also confirmed six new cases – including four Thai nationals.

The 41-year-old Malaysian who has the virus had travelled to Singapore for a meeting last month with colleagues from China – including one from Wuhan, the epicentre of the epidemic. But he only showed symptoms on January 29, nearly a week after he returned to Malaysia, health authorities said.

Malaysian Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said laboratory results on February 3 confirmed that the man, along with a 63-year-old man from Wuhan who had been under observation, had contracted the virus.

Malaysia previously recorded eight coronavirus cases, all involving Chinese travellers.

The four Thai people who are infected included a couple who had visited Japan and two drivers who had picked up Chinese passengers in Thailand, Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, told reporters.

Tourists wearing protective face masks walk through a shoppin centre in Bangkok. Photo: AFP

It was not clear whether the couple contracted the virus in Japan or after returning, Suwannachai said.

One of the infected Thai drivers, a 70-year-old, also had tuberculosis and was transferred into government care from a private hospital on Monday in a worse condition than the others.

The other driver was tracked down by Thai authorities after being identified as one of the people in contact with an infected Chinese tourist, Suwannachai said.

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Thailand confirmed its first case of human-to-human transmission on Friday when a taxi driver tested positive.

Thailand’s 25 cases consist of six Thais and 19 Chinese. Seventeen remain in hospital and eight have gone home, according to the health official.

Earlier on Tuesday, South Korea reported a 42-year-old woman has tested positive for coronavirus after visiting Thailand. It was not clear yet where she had contracted the virus.

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