Coronavirus: Malaysia confirms first case of human transmission from Singapore meeting, taking tally to 14
- The 40-year-old woman did not travel to China but her brother became infected after a company meeting at the Grand Hyatt in Singapore last month
- Malaysian health authorities have said people from China including one from the city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus, also attended the meeting
The 40-year-old Malaysian woman had direct contact with the man, who had returned to his hometown for the Lunar New Year holiday on January 23, Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said in a statement.
The woman, who does not have a travel history to China, started showing symptoms on February 1, the minister said. Others in the man’s family have tested negative for the coronavirus known as 2019-nCoV.
“We are calling this the first Malaysian-transmitted local case,” Dzulkefly said.
The man had attended a company meeting at the Grand Hyatt in Singapore in mid-January. At least three people, including the Malaysian man, who attended the meeting have contracted the virus, sparking a World Health Organisation investigation of the case.
Malaysian health authorities have said people from China including one from the city of Wuhan, where the virus emerged in December, attended the Singapore meeting.
Dzulkefly said contact tracing for the 40-year-old woman’s brother was ongoing as the authorities sought to locate anyone who had been in close proximity to him.
“We have reached out to 42 individuals so far and taken samples. 41 tested negative for the virus, with the sole positive case being the man’s sister,” Dzulkefly said.