Deadly coronavirus outbreak: Singapore and Vietnam report Wuhan travelers as first cases
The man arrived in Singapore with his family on Jan. 20
LONDON — Singapore's Ministry of Health says the country has confirmed its first case of the new coronavirus, a 66-year-old Chinese national from Wuhan.
Vietnam's Health Ministry says a Chinese father and son, who were hospitalized on Wednesday with fevers, have tested positive with the new coronavirus. It said this marks the first such cases in Vietnam.
The ministry on Thursday said Li Ding, 66, from Wuhan, China, arrived in Hanoi on Jan. 13 then traveled south to meet up with his 28-year-old son Li Zichao, who works in Vietnam. The two then went to Ho Chi Minh City.
Passengers wear protective face masks on the subway in Hong Kong, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
The father got a fever on Jan. 17 and the son got the same symptoms three days later, according to Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Sang, head of tropical diseases at Cho Ray hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. “The son has contracted the virus from his father,” the doctor was quoted as saying.
The Singaporean ministry said late Thursday the man arrived in Singapore with his family on Jan. 20. It said the man is now in isolation in a hospital in the Southeast Asian city-state.
MORE CITIES SHUT DOWN IN BID TO CONTAIN DEADLY CORONAVIRUS
The statement said health officials are also investigating another suspected case, after a preliminary test for the virus was positive. That person is a 53-year-old woman from Wuhan.
China, meanwhile, has decided to lock down three cities including Wuhan that are home to more than 18 million people in an unprecedented effort to try to contain the deadly new viral illness that has sickened hundreds.
Police, SWAT teams and paramilitary troops guarded Wuhan's train station, where metal barriers blocked the entrances at 10 a.m. sharp. Only travelers holding tickets for the last trains were allowed to enter, with those booked for later trains being turned away.
Normally bustling streets, shopping malls, restaurants and other public spaces in the city of 11 million people were eerily quiet. In addition to the train station, airport, ferry, subway and bus services were also halted.
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Similar measures will take effect from Friday in the nearby cities of Huanggang and Ezhou.
In the capital Beijing, authorities canceled "major events" indefinitely, including traditional temple fairs that are a staple of Lunar New Year holiday celebrations.