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Chinese toddler’s condition improves after suspected Wuhan coronavirus infection in Manado
Doctors, however, could not yet announce whether the toddler had tested positive for the novel coronavirus as they are still waiting for test results from the Health Ministry’s research and development center in Jakarta.
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Lab technicians test patient samples for the novel coronavirus at the Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases of Thailand at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok on Wednesday (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP) (AFP/Lillian SUWANRUMPHA )
T
he condition of a 2-year-old Chinese toddler who showed several symptoms of the coronavirus has improved after being put in an isolation room in the Prof. Kandou General Hospital in Manado, North Sulawesi.
The boy had been in Manado with his parents since Jan. 21. He was taken to the hospital on Monday after he showed symptoms of the coronavirus.
“His health condition is stable and is starting to improve. There are no more complaints, his body temperature remains at a normal range of 36.3 degrees [Celsius] and his cough has begun to improve as well,” the hospital’s medical services division head Hanry Takasenseran said on Friday.
He, however, could not yet announce whether the toddler had tested positive for the novel coronavirus as he was still waiting for test results from the Health Ministry’s research and development center in Jakarta. The hospital previously took two blood samples from the patient.
“We are still coordinating whether we have to wait for results of both samples or just one of them to know his condition,” Hanry said, adding that both of the toddler’s parents were in good condition.
The isolation room in which the toddler was being observed was under strict guard, Hanry went on to say.
He previously stated that the toddler had been experiencing fever and cough for the previous nine days, according to his medical record. The toddler was referred to the hospital by a private hospital in Manado.
Read also: Chinese toddler becomes first suspected Wuhan coronavirus case in Manado
North Sulawesi Health Agency dismissed a rumor on social media that the toddlers’ family were hiding in the Four Points Hotel in Manado before eventually taking their children to the hospital. Rumor had it that the entire family was infected by the coronavirus. Residents were also told to stay away from the hotel as well as Manado Town Square shopping center, which the family visited.
“It’s not true that they were hiding here [in the hotel]. They were monitored by travel agents who brought them here,” the agency head Debie KR Kalalo said. She also dismissed the report that the entire family was being put under observation in the hospital’s isolation room.
Four Point Hotel spokesperson Novrico echoed Debie’s statement, saying the health condition of the remaining Chinese tourists staying at the hotel had been verified as good.
Debie added that there was no scientific evidence that the novel coronavirus could be spread by airborne transmission, such as through the hospital’s air conditioning system. She went on to say that the virus would need respiratory droplets in order to survive.
AFP reported that the official Chinese death toll from the coronavirus outbreak rose on Friday to 636, with the government saying total infections had climbed past 30,000. Indonesia has yet to have any confirmed cases, although an Indonesian domestic worker in Singapore was tested positive for the virus on Tuesday. (syk)
