Published 19:39 IST, February 7th 2020
Singapore raises coronavirus outbreak alert to orange after 3 more cases
Singapore has raised the risk assessment level on the deadly virus outbreak from Yellow to Orange as they saw three more cases with no confirmed travel history.
Singapore has reportedly raised the risk assessment level on the deadly coronavirus outbreak from Yellow to Orange as they saw three more cases with no confirmed travel history to China or links to the past cases on February 6. The total number of cases in Singapore rose to 33, making it the country with the second-highest number of cases of coronavirus after China. Ministry of Health reportedly said that the Code Orange has been issued because of heightened risk. This is the second time Singapore has issued Code Orange and the first was for swine flu back in 2019, as per the reports.
Health Ministry confirms three more cases
The Ministry has confirmed three more cases of novel coronavirus infection in Singapore. Under the Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON), orange alert means the outbreak is deemed to have moderate to high public health impact.
The Ministry of Health in Singapore said that it is introducing additional measures in order to prevent the disease and further transmission of the virus within the community, as per reports.
636 dead, more than 30000 affected
Coronavirus has claimed at least 636 lives in China, as per the latest government reports. The government reported more deaths on Friday morning, leading to the crisis worsening. The Chinese government also reported that the number of people infected has crossed 30,000 across the country. The outbreak took place in Wuhan in January and multiple countries have started evacuating their citizens from the country, and have decided to restrict the entry of foreigners returning from China. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Coronavirus as a 'global public health emergency'.
In order to tackle the spreading virus, the WHO stated that the international community has launched a USD 675 million preparedness and response plan covering the months of February through to April 2020. Amidst the growing crisis, WHO has repeatedly stated that it stands by China for its efforts to tackle the crisis.
(With inputs from ANI)
Updated 19:39 IST, February 7th 2020