THE Health Ministry and its Singaporean counterpart will set up a joint working committee to tackle the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak.

Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the panel aims to boost cross-border cooperation in efforts to stem the disease’s spread.

“The committee will be set up soon. It will be headed by the deputy ministers of the respective ministries.

“It will focus on information-sharing and research, to effectively control the spread of the virus,” he told reporters in Putrajaya this evening after his hour-long video conference with Singaporean Health Minister Gan Kim Yong.

He said the committee will discuss, among others, the use of antiviral medicines by those who have tested positive, as well as an advisory for travel to Singapore.

“These are some of the things that will be discussed in detail… to address the current status in Singapore, which is ‘orange’.”

He was referring to the Singaporean government’s decision last week to raise the risk assessment for the coronavirus following local transmissions in the republic.

Dr Dzulkefly added that the number of confirmed cases in Malaysia remains 18.

“Eight are patients under investigation, eight are close contact cases, and two cases are Malaysians brought back from China.”

Of the total, 12 are Chinese nationals and the rest Malaysians. – February 11, 2020.