Coronavirus: Sabah Health Dept monitoring all entry points

KOTA KINABALU, Jan 24 (Bernama) -- The Sabah Health Department is monitoring all entry points in the state, particularly the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA), as part of efforts to prevent the spread of a novel coronavirus, also known as the Wuhan coronavirus, into the country. 

State Health and People's Wellbeing Minister Datuk Frankie Poon Ming Fung said monitoring is being undertaken through the use of thermo-scanners on all passengers from Wuhan, China, as well as the issuance of health alert cards to the passengers who are required to fill them with information on their health and recent travels.

In a statement today, Poon said scanning of 4,003 passengers and crew members on direct flights from Wuhan, China, undertaken between Jan 5 and yesterday, had not detected a fever in any of the individuals.

The minister said KKIA staff had also been briefed by the department, and advised to alert department officers stationed at the airport about any passengers suspected to be sickly, particularly with a fever - the passengers will be checked, and if needed, referred to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital or Hospital Wanita dan Kanak-kanak Sabah (hospital for women and children). 

Commenting on social media posts yesterday on an individual suspected to have been infected with the virus, and who had been admitted to a hospital in Kota Kinabalu, Poon said tests undertaken by the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) to determine the presence of the coronavirus, had come back negative.

The male Chinese national had instead been infected with the Influenza A virus, Poon said, adding that the patient was in a stable condition and recovering.

-- BERNAMA