TAIPEI (CNA) — Another Taiwanese woman who returned from the Chinese city of Wuhan has been diagnosed with the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), the fifth such confirmed case in Taiwan, according to the Taiwan Centers of Disease Control (CDC) Monday.

The woman, in her 50s, had been working in Wuhan since October last year and returned to Taiwan on Jan. 20, before seeking medical attention Jan. 25 after developing a fever and muscle aches, the CDC said.

Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said the woman was on the same flight as another woman who returned from Wuhan and was later confirmed as the first case of the coronavirus in Taiwan.

The CDC reported that the woman did not visit the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, a wet market, in Wuhan where the coronavirus is believed to have been passed from animals to humans.

She is currently in a stable condition under hospital quarantine, the CDC added.

As of noon Monday, 402 suspected cases of the new type of coronavirus had been reported in Taiwan, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center.

While infection has been ruled out in 190 of those cases, five have been confirmed.

Due to concerns over the coronavirus epidemic that originated in Wuhan, Hubei Province, Taiwan’s CDC has extended its highest travel warning to Hubei, urging people to avoid unnecessary travel to the area.

Currently there are about 200-300 Taiwanese businesspeople in Wuhan, said Tsai Chih-ju (蔡志儒), an official at Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council.

The minister said Jia Jianhua, 60, travelled from Wuhan city, where the outbreak originated, to Sihanoukville with three family members – Wang Lingzhen, 57; Xiao Yan, 38; and Jia Ruixuan, 33. Their aeroplane landed at Sihanoukville International Airport on January 22.

On January 25, Jia developed a high fever, runny nose, and other flu-like symptoms, and on Monday, Cambodian experts confirmed he had contracted the virus. His other family members tested negative.

“They travelled from Wuhan city to Sihanoukville and then took a taxi to the Independence Hotel where they stayed for two nights. They later moved to Queenco Hotel.

“In the afternoon of January 25, Jia Jianhua said he had a fever after swimming in the pool for two hours. That same day, his wife called relatives in China to tell them Jia was feeling ill,” Bun Heng said.

He said the following day, provincial authorities – including the director of the provincial department of health as well as emergency response officials of the Ministry of Health –investigated the case after being informed by Preah Sihanouk provincial governor Kuoch Chamroeun.

Jia is in a stable condition and has only minor symptoms like sneezing, Bun Heng said. He and his family have been placed under quarantine.

The authorities are now on the lookout for individuals that may have come into contact with Jia to test them for the virus. They will also disinfect places where the family stayed to eliminate any trace of it.

Meanwhile, Cambodian aviation authorities on Monday announced that all flights between Cambodia and Wuhan city have been cancelled.

This comes after Chinese authorities banned all local and international flights to the central Chinese city, State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA) standby secretary of state and spokesman Chea Aun told The Post.

On Monday, the virus claimed its 81st victim in China, according to official numbers. There are now nearly 3,000 cases in that country alone. The virus has also spread to at least 14 other nations, including Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Nepal, Japan and South Korea.

SSCA deputy director and spokesman Sin Chansereyvutha

spokesman Sin Chansereyvutha told The Post on Monday that only two airlines operate regular flights between Wuhan city and Cambodia – Lanmei Airlines and JC Airlines.

“This is not our decision or the decision of the airlines. The Chinese government was the one that decided to cancel all flights in and out of the city,” he said.

According to Chansereyvutha, Cambodia operates more than 200 flights a week to China.

The Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said 23 Khmer students are now in Wuhan city.

Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong told The Post on Monday that they are all in good health. He said the students are receiving support from Cambodian embassies and consulates in China.

“The consuls have regular contact with the department of foreign affairs in Hubei province and the schools. They are asking them to help care for and provide food to the students. The authorities in Hubei province said they will do all they can.

“Wuhan University is providing three meals a day for foreign students free of charge. Canteens in the other schools are open as are convenient stores and supermarkets near the schools,” he said.

The students are enrolled at Wuhan University, Huazhongkeji University, Hubei University, Wuhan Ligong University, Huazhong Normal University and the Naval University of Engineering.

On Monday, China announced that it will adopt a host of measures including delaying and reducing conferences and major events, extending the Spring Festival holiday and supporting work online to curb the spread of the virus, China Daily reported.

The impact of the virus could be more severe than that of Sars 17 years ago, Thailand’s The Nation reported.

Preliminary estimates of the impact on tourism and related businesses in Thailand and other Asian nations are at around 80 billion to 100 billion baht ($2.6 billion to $3.2 billion), if the spread of the virus is contained by early March.

Although the people in Wuhan are allowed to go outside, Soares Chen (pic) said, they are not allowed to drive and there is no public transport.

He said they were spending all day at home, watching TV and browsing the Internet.

Chen, who grew up in Penang, is based in Leipzig, Germany. He is a programming language enthusiast.

In a series of tweets, he said he is currently healthy but is under lockdown in Wuhan.

“I am sharing some of my own thoughts on the coronavirus from ground zero perspective, ” he posted.

Chen said he had boarded a flight to Wuhan based on reports then that there was no known human-to-human transmission.

He said he understood that it might cause more harm than good to flee the city at the time as there was a risk of carrying the virus to other places or getting infected during the journey out.

“The best course of action is to stay home and minimise risk of getting infected, ” he added.

He said the locals were not so much worried about the virus itself but rather at the “incompetency” of the government in handling the outbreak.

“Since the lockdown, everyone is trapped at home and have no idea what is really happening in the city, ” said Chen, who is now at his in-laws’ place.

He also mentioned about “no shortage of food, people are just panicking to stock food. But I don’t go to the market so I can’t personally verify”.

Chen said the rumours about overcrowded hospitals were making people nervous.

“What worries us the most right now is whether we can even get diagnosis and treatment in the hospital if we get infected, ” he added.

“We need more information on what is happening in Wuhan right now to make the right decisions. We have the right to know it for our own safety, ” he said.

According to the data from mobile big data platform IGAWorks, combined sales at three app markets – Google’s Play Store for Android devices, Apple’s App Store for iPhones, and ONE store – came to 4.29 trillion won in 2019.

NCSoft had the biggest market share with 21.5 percent, followed by Netmarble with 11.7 percent and Nexon with 5.1 percent, the data showed. (Yonhap)

The government raised the level of the four-tier infectious disease alert to the second most severe rung, after a 55-year-old Korean man, who had visited Wuhan, Hubei province, tested positive for the coronavirus earlier in the day.

The man, who showed no symptoms of infection when he was screened at an airport upon his return to Korea on Jan. 20, received treatment at a medical facility on Jan. 21 for cold symptoms. On Saturday, he developed symptoms of a high fever and aching muscles, and was put under close observation. He was diagnosed with pneumonia Sunday, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Adding fuel to public health concerns, the man was confirmed to have carried out normal activities after he contracted the virus, according to the agency. An in-depth inspection following his activities is underway.

The latest case comes a day after a 54-year-old Korean resident of Wuhan, who returned to Korea on Jan. 20, tested positive, in the third confirmed case of the coronavirus here.

The man also showed no symptoms during screening for the virus at the airport and had led normal activities without being identified or monitored by health authorities.

According to his movements disclosed by the KCDC on Monday, he received treatment at a plastic surgery clinic, dined at restaurants, took a stroll along the Han River and stayed in a hotel in southern Seoul before visiting his mother in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province.

Seventy-four people came into contact with the man, according to the public health agency. One of them had symptoms of infection and was placed in isolation, but tested negative. The others are under self-imposed isolation and being closely observed by health authorities.

The medical facilities and hotel he visited have all been disinfected, the KCDC said.

Two other cases — a 35-year-old Chinese woman and a Korean man — were confirmed on Jan. 20 and Friday, respectively.

Fifty-seven people had shown symptoms of the virus as of Monday afternoon. One person was awaiting test results, and the remaining 56 people have tested negative for the virus.

The Korean government has stepped up efforts to contain the spread of the virus by tightening checks on passengers entering Korea and expanding the range of people to be put under quarantine and on monitoring lists among those who visited China.

In a meeting with senior secretaries, President Moon Jae-in ordered all-out, preemptive measures — such as transparent disclosure of information to the public as well as mobilization of medical personnel from the military — to rein in the spread of the corona virus, according to Yoon Do-han, senior secretary for public communication.

He also urged close monitoring of the coronavirus’ impact on the economy. The finance minister is set to hold an emergency meeting Tuesday, according to Yoon.

The Foreign Ministry raised the travel advisory level for Wuhan and the Hubei province region to “red alert,” also second-highest in the country’s four-tier travel warning system.

The government is reportedly conducting a final review to send a chartered plane to Wuhan to evacuate an estimated 600 Koreans believed to be staying in and around Wuhan.

All of China is now classified as a “coronavirus risk area,” with travelers coming from the country required to fill out health forms upon arrival. If a person from Wuhan or nearby areas shows any signs of a fever or breathing problems, he or she will be placed under quarantine starting from Tuesday. Those who have visited other parts of China and who show symptoms of pneumonia will be put in isolation.

Public fears are mounting in Korea, with the presidential website flooded with petitions demanding a ban on the entry of all Chinese travelers. More than 480,000 people signed the petitions as of Monday afternoon.

There were 2,744 confirmed cases across China, 461 of whom are in critical condition, as of Sunday midnight, China’s National Health Commission announced, with a combined population of over 57 million people placed under full or partial lockdown.

The end of the Lunar New Year holiday in China was pushed back to Sunday from Thursday, and the reopening of schools was postponed until further notice to “reduce mass gatherings” as part of efforts to block the spread of the coronavirus.

The youngest patient is a 9-month-old girl in Beijing.

The virus is rapidly spreading outside mainland China, with Hong Kong, Macao, Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Nepal, France, Australia, the US and Canada having reported confirmed cases of the coronavirus.

The KCDC advised citizens to look after their personal hygiene — such as washing hands and wearing masks. Those showing pneumonia-like symptoms should immediately contact an emergency call center by dialing 1339, it said.

(laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)