One Patient Allegedly Infected with Coronavirus

Vigilance on the spread of the coronavirus must be increased, including detection for its symptoms, in the wake of reports that one patient in Indonesia was allegedly infected with the virus.

KOMPAS/AYU PRATIWI

Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto talks with representatives from state lender BRI in front of the Huawei office at BRI 2 Tower in Jakarta on Thursday (23/1/2020) afternoon. The building was isolated at noon because an employee from China was suspected of being infected with the new coronavirus strain, (2019-nCoV).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The spread of the new coronavirus has reached Southeast Asia, including Singapore and Thailand. Vigilance on the spread of the new virus must be increased, including detection for its symptoms, in the wake of reports that one patient in Indonesia was allegedly infected with the virus.

Health Ministry infectious disease prevention and control director Wiendra Waworuntu said in Jakarta on Thursday (23/1/2020) that one patient was allegedly infected with the new coronavirus. The patient, identified as R, 35, has a recent history of traveling to China and is being treated at the Sulianti Saroso Infectious Diseases Hospital in Jakarta.

“[The patient is in] good condition and is only alleged [to have the virus]. We can only call it an infection once a lab test shows positive result. Right now, the patient is only suspected to have the virus and is being monitored intensively,” she said.

Health Ministry health research and development agency head Siswanto said a lab test on the patient’s sputum culture would be matched with the genome of the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV) at the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data portal. The result will be available after two days.

KOMPAS/HARIS FIRDAUS

A medical worker at Dr Sardjito General Hospital wears special gear during a simulation to handle patients with harmful contagious diseases (22/1/2020) at an isolation room in Sleman regency, Yogyakarta, on Wednesday. Medical workers must wear the same gear if there is a patient infected with the new coronavirus strain (2019-nCoV) from Wuhan, China.

Singapore

As of Thursday night, the World Health Organization (WHO) has a record of 634 people who are infected with the virus and 17 fatalities. In Singapore, the local health ministry confirmed in its release that a 66-year-old man had been infected. The man from Wuhan, China, arrived in Singapore on Monday and has been treated in an isolation ward at the Singapore General Hospital ever since. A woman from Wuhan was also alleged to have caught the coronavirus.

People are urged not to panic as there has been no confirmations that the new coronavirus has spread to Indonesia.

“There is no need for panic, but we have to be vigilant,” Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto said after visiting the BRI 2 Building in South Jakarta, where it was reported that an employee was infected with the coronavirus.

Regarding the report, state lender BRI corporate secretary Hari Purnomo said in a press statement that the bank had coordinated with Huawei and other relevant parties to investigate the case. The Huawei employee had caught a fever and was taken to a hospital to be treated and diagnosed.

The government is anticipating for the spread of the new coronavirus by tightening security checks at the country’s ports of entry, including airports. Health Ministry health quarantine and surveillance director Vensya Sitohang said regional administrations should monitor residents who had a history of traveling to countries with reports of the virus for 14 days, the virus’ incubation period. People traveling from and to China are urged to monitor for symptoms such as fever and breathing difficulty.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Medical workers use handheld scanners to take the temperatures of overseas passengers on Wednesday (22/1/2020) at Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten. The government has implemented the procedure for all international arrivals to prevent the further spread of the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV), which has been found to transmit from person to person.

WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told AFP that more information on the new coronavirus would be needed before declaring the disease a global medical emergency.

“The case is complex and developing,” he said.

A new study published in the Journal of Medical Virology on Wednesday said the new strain possibly originated in snakes.