A CHINESE national who arrived in Singapore on January 20 has tested positive for the Wuhan virus in the city state’s first confirmed case of infection, said news reports.

The man is a 66-year-old Wuhan resident who arrived in the republic with nine other people. They had stayed at a hotel on Sentosa, the Singaporean Health Ministry said.

The man’s 37-year-old son is also suspected of infection and is in hospital. The others in the group are under quarantine for two weeks.

Another Chinese visitor, a 53-year-old woman, has also tested positive for the virus in preliminary tests and is awaiting the results of more tests for confirmation, the ministry added.

The woman did not travel in the same group as the infected man.

Singapore has 21 suspected cases of the coronavirus after seven people were cleared of the infection. The infected range from age one to 78.

The viral epidemic, who broke out last month, has killed 17 people and infected more than 500 people in China and spread to various parts of the world including Taiwan, Japan, Macau, Thailand, Vietnam and the United States.

Chinese scientists have confirmed that the virus can be spread by human-to-human transmission.

Chinese authorities have locked down the cities of Wuhan and neighbouring Huanggang, while Air Asia and Malindo Air have suspended flights to and from the former.

Malaysia’s foreign ministry has issued a travel advisory against visiting Wuhan, while its Health Ministry is investigating the country first suspected case of the virus in Sabah. – January 23, 2020.