PUTRAJAYA: A 39-year-old woman from China has been confirmed as a new COVID-19 case in Malaysia, bringing the total number of cases to 19, Malaysian health authorities said on Thursday (Feb 13).

The woman is related to two patients who had tested positive for the coronavirus, said Director-General of Health Noor Hisham Abdullah in a press release.





The 19th patient is the daughter of Malaysia's 16th case and a friend to the 14th case, Dr Noor Hisham added. Three patients in Malaysia have been discharged.



The 39-year-old woman had arrived in Malaysia on Jan 25 with four others from Wuhan, the Chinese city where the coronavirus outbreak began.



She was quarantined by the authorities as soon as the two related cases were tested positive for the infection on Feb 5 and Feb 7.

On Wednesday, she began to show symptoms of fever and cough and was referred to Hospital Kuala Lumpur, where she tested positive for the coronavirus on the same day.

She was admitted to an isolation ward and is in a stable condition, Dr Noor Hisham said.

Kes ke-19 adalah kawan kepada kes ke-14 dan anak kepada kes ke 16.



Mereka adalah pelancong dari China yang memasuki negara ini pada 25 Januari.



Kesemua mereka dirawat di HKL dan stabil. pic.twitter.com/fOw1xihFGU — KKMalaysia🇲🇾 (@KKMPutrajaya) February 13, 2020





Separately, Dr Noor Hisham said psychological assistance has been provided to those under quarantine after they were flown home from Wuhan.

A group of 107 Malaysians and their non-Malaysian spouses and children, as well as 12 crew members, eight mission personnel and six officers from the Malaysian Embassy in Beijing, are now under quarantine in Negeri Sembilan after they returned home on Feb 4.

Two were referred for treatment for stress and anxiety and are in stable condition, the director-general added.



Of the 19 coronavirus cases, six are Malaysians and 13 are Chinese nationals.

A total of 223 close contacts have been identified, with contact tracing still ongoing to identify other close contacts of the confirmed cases, Dr Noor Hisham said.

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