bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

The Star

Associated Press

Malaysia on Saturday reported 10 new cases of the novel coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections to 93, as it turned away a cruise ship from a port in northern Penang state.
Health director general Noor Hisham Abdullah said all of the cases had been identified and the patients were currently under treatment.
“All the new cases recorded today are due to close contact with Case 33, where four cases, which are cases 85, 86, 87, and 93, were first-generation close contacts with Case 33,” he said in a statement on Saturday.
Noor Hisham said the other six cases were second-generation close contacts of Patient 33.
Malaysia reports 14 new virus cases linked to Khazanah cluster
“All of the cases were detected during contact tracing and were admitted to the hospital for isolation and further treatment,” he said.
Based on the ministry’s latest investigations into close contacts of Case 26, there was a cluster of Covid-19 infections linked to Case 33, Noor Hisham said.
Case 26, a top official from sovereign wealth fund Khazanah, was described by the health ministry this week as an “extraordinary spreader”. He later identified himself as Hisham Hamdan, and clarified that while a new cluster was linked to him, “being linked to me and having originated from me are two entirely different things”.
A look at coronavirus clusters across the world
Noor Hisham on Saturday said 132 close contacts had been identified with Case 26. Of these people, 18 tested positive, “all currently under treatment and in stable condition”, he said.
“Some 38 close contacts have tested negative and been ordered to self-quarantine and home monitoring for 14 days,” Noor Hisham added.
“The lab results for 76 more close contacts have yet to be determined but all of them are reportedly healthy and have been put under self-quarantine and monitoring at home.”

He said the ministry would continue conducting close contact tracing in a bid to stop the outbreak of the infection.
“The ministry would also like to say that Case 78, which was reported on March 6, was detected from a Patient Under Investigation (PUI),” he said.
“The patient has a travel history to Indonesia for a period of seven days from February 13 to 19. A total of 67 close contacts were also identified and their samples have been taken. All of the close contacts have been put under observation and monitoring at home,” said Noor Hisham.

Earlier on Saturday, Malaysia turned away a cruise ship carrying around 2,000 passengers and crew from a port in Penang state, becoming the second country to bar the ship from docking after Thailand.
The Costa Fortuna was turned away from the popular resort island of Phuket in southern Thailand on Friday due to the presence of 64 Italians on board. Thai health authorities have officially designated Italy a dangerous communicable disease area because it has been hit hard by the coronavirus.
Phee Boon Poh, a Penang executive councillor, said he was informed by the Penang port that it had turned away the cruise liner Saturday morning following a directive from the transport ministry. He said the ship was now making its way to Singapore.
‘Genuine club-banger’: Coronavirus songs in Asia that have gone viral
The neighbouring city state on Saturday reported eight new cases of the coronavirus, bringing its total number of infections to 138.
Four of Singapore’s new cases were part of a cluster involving a private dinner function at Safra Jurong in the west of the island state on February 15, the health ministry said.
One was linked to the cluster at The Life Church and Missions Singapore, two were likely to be imported cases; and the last case was not linked to any previous cases, the ministry said in a statement.


Global tourism is recovering, but for Asia it’s a mixed bag at best

Malaysians face retirement in poverty as lifelong low pay bites back in their autumn years

Malaysians feel the pinch as the ‘shringgit’ returns – and there’s no quick fix for PM Anwar

Covid surge prompts calls for return of masks in Singapore, airport scanners in Indonesia

Coronavirus Malaysia

Coronavirus: Malaysia turns away cruise ship, as cases rise to 93

A worker checks the temperature of passengers at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on February 14, 2020. Photo: AFP

05 March 2020, Malaysia, Putrajaya: Malaysian Health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah speaks during a press conference after the health committee meeting that discussed the spread of the coronavirus. Photo: Mohd Huzaini Daud/fotoBERNAMA/dpa

In this Friday, March 6, 2020 image taken from video, the Costa Fortuna cruise ship is seen near Phuket, Thailand. Thailand has denied entry to passengers and crew of the cruise ship that arrived at the popular Andaman Sea resort island of Phuket. (AP Photo)

‘I’m not patient zero’: Malaysia’s 26th coronavirus patient speaks up about new Covid-19 cluster

Health workers wearing protective suits as the second batch of Malaysian nationals, evacuated from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the Covid-19 novel coronavirus outbreak, arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on February 26. Photo: Handout

Passengers wearing protective facemasks amid concerns of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak wait to board their plane at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang on February 19, 2020. (Photo by Jewel SAMAD / AFP)

Picture of Hisham Hamdan. Photo: Handout

FILE PHOTO: File photo of former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad listening to current Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin during a news conference on April 5, 2018, when both were allies. REUTERS/Lai Seng Sin -/File Photo

Coronavirus: Malaysia confirms 14 new cases linked to Khazanah cluster

Malaysian Health Ministry director general Noor Hisham Abdullah says Patient 26 is an ‘extraordinary spreader’. Photo: Bernama/dpa

A Malaysian health quarantine officer waits for passengers at a thermal screening point at a cruise ship terminal, following the outbreak of the coronavirus in China, in Port Klang, Malaysia February 13, 2020. REUTERS/Lim Huey Teng

A police officer wears protective mask at a commuter train station, following the outbreak of the coronavirus in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 3, 2020. REUTERS/Lim Huey Teng

Coronavirus: food stalls, durian sellers in Malaysia hit hard as Chinese tourists stay away

The price of Musang King per kilogram have fallen by 20-50 per cent, sellers in Penang say. Photo: Vkeong.com

This picture taken on January 18, 2019 shows the meat of a durian being removed at an eatery stall specialising in the fruit, in Beijing. - Soaring demand for durians in China is being blamed for a new wave of deforestation in Malaysia with environmentalists warning vast amounts of jungle is being cleared to make way for massive plantations of the spiky, pungent fruit. (Photo by WANG ZHAO / AFP) / TO GO WITH MALAYSIA-CHINA-AGRICULTURE-ENVIRONMENT-DURIAN,FEATURE BY SAM REEVES, WITH LILLIAN DING IN BEIJING

Coronavirus: Singapore launches new fast-track swab test kits for inbound travellers

A laboratory technician extracts viruses from swab samples so that the genetic structure can be analysed. Photo: DPA

A laboratory technician with the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) simulates the loading of primer onto a VereChip Lab-on-Chip, part of the Covid-19 test kits at the CBRNE Laboratory in Singapore, on Thursday, March 5, 2020. As the novel coronavirus starts to gather speed in Europe, the Middle East and the U.S., Singapore has received praise from health experts for implementing measures that have likely helped to contain the virus. Photographer: Wei Leng Tay/Bloomberg

Coronavirus assault: images of four men wanted over racist attack on Singaporean student in London

London police release photos of men linked to assault on Jonathan Mok. Photo: Handout

Jonathan Mok, who said he has been studying in London for two years, posted two photos of himself showing a swollen eye on his facebook page. Photo: Handout from Jonathan Mok Facebook

News

Asia

Southeast Asia


The 10 new patients are all close contacts of Patient 33, Malaysia’s health director general says
Meanwhile, Malaysia earlier on Saturday turned away a cruise ship carrying around 2,000 passengers and crew from a port in Penang



The 10 new patients are all close contacts of Patient 33, Malaysia’s health director general says.
