KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 6 — Malaysia today reported the first local transmission of the China-linked novel coronavirus in a local woman, who was infected from the first Malaysian patient.
Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said the 40-year-old woman had direct contact with the Malaysian man who contracted 2019-nCoV after attending an international conference in Singapore, when both brother and sister celebrated Chinese New Year last January 23 in Sungai Petani, Kedah.
She fell ill with a fever and sore throat on February 1, and cough on February 4, and later sought treatment in a private clinic. The woman tested positive for the new strain of coronavirus on February 5, while other family members tested negative.
Investigations showed the woman did not have a history of travelling to China. She is currently in stable condition in Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital, Alor Star, Kedah.
Local health authorities also confirmed another 2019-nCoV infection in a 37-year-old woman from Wuhan, China, the epicentre of the outbreak. The Chinese national, her mother, and three friends arrived in Malaysia last January 25 and visited several tourist spots in Kuala Lumpur.
Six days later, the woman sought treatment at Kuala Lumpur Hospital on February 1 for a light fever. She was warded on February 5 after initially returning to her accommodation and tested positive on the same day for 2019-nCoV.
“With these two new cases, the cumulative total of 2019-nCoV cases reported until today is 14,” Dzulkefly said in a statement. “Out of that, 10 are Chinese nationals and four are Malaysians.”
Dzulkefly announced yesterday that two Malaysians were infected with the novel coronavirus after returning home from Wuhan in a Malaysian rescue mission.
