The spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) showed no signs of stopping as new confirmed cases were reported globally.
Indonesia on Monday recorded its first two confirmed cases from a 64-year old woman and her 31-year old daughter who have had direct contact with a Japanese national. The first case mounted concerns that Indonesia was not successful in identifying virus transmission.
“After checks, they were in a sick state. This morning I got a report that the mother and the daughter tested positive for coronavirus,” Indonesian President Joko Widodo told a news briefing.
He assured that the government continues to take steps to ensure that the virus is contained, adding that an adequate budget is allocated to battle the outbreak.
“From the beginning, this government prepared. Preparations, for example—hospitals—more than 100 hospitals are ready with isolation rooms regarding coronavirus with good isolation standards. We also have adequate equipment following international standards,” he said.
The whereabouts of the infected patients were not divulged, but the state leader said the government is taking care of the situation.
Thailand on the same day saw confirmed infection rise to 43, with the latest being a 22-year old woman working as a tourist guide and who was infected by the tourist driver.
Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, director-general of the Ministry of Public Health’s Disease Control Department said that the patient has been admitted to a hospital for treatment.
Out of the 43 confirmed infections, 31 patients have been treated and discharged, while the remaining 12 are undergoing treatment.
Meanwhile, Singapore’s Ministry of Health reported four new cases, three of which were linked to the Wizlearn Technologies cluster, bringing the cases linked to the e-learning company to 11. The new infections brought Singapore’s total cases to 106, with 74 already recovered.
Of the new cases, two are Singaporeans, one is from Myanmar, and the last one, a Japanese national. The first three cases were said to have no travel history to China or the virus-hit Daegu City and Cheongdo in South Korea, but contact-tracing is underway for the Japanese national to determine if the patient has a travel history to the virus-stricken countries.
Meanwhile, Malaysia over the weekend recorded four new cases, bringing its total to 29.
