Man tests positive for coronavirus days after one-year-old son recovers
It has been a roller-coaster ride of emotions for one family evacuated from Wuhan earlier this month.
They flew back to Singapore on Feb 9 and their one-year-old boy later tested positive for the coronavirus, while the father, mother and his three-year-old brother were all negative.
On Friday, three days after his one-year-old son was discharged after making a full recovery, the father was confirmed to have the infection.
The man has been warded in an isolation room in the National Centre for Infectious Diseases.
The family was originally slated to be released tomorrow but their quarantine period has now been extended.
"I was shocked; it was definitely not what I expected because since I returned from Wuhan, I have not shown any symptoms. At first I was very worried and scared," the father told Shin Min Daily News.
The additional tests done on him have now turned up negative.
Doctors conducted a computed tomography scan on him as an added precaution and he is now waiting for the results.
"My mood has improved and I'm more calm. I have also been talking to my family members, and their encouragement and support gives me comfort," said the man, who was not named.
The 32-year-old Singaporean's wife is from Wuhan, the epicentre of the Covid-19 outbreak.
She went back to the Chinese city in December with her two sons and their maid to visit family, and her husband joined them there last month.
They returned here as part of a group of 174 Singaporeans and family members, who all went through medical screening and were quarantined.
On Saturday, the Ministry of Heath said the man was without symptoms when he boarded the flight.
His son, who was discharged on Feb 18, also did not show any symptoms when the family boarded the flight home on Feb 9.
The boy was confirmed to be infected on Feb 16 and was warded in KK Women's and Children's Hospital.
The mother believes her husband will also be discharged soon.
She told Shin Min: "Now my husband is facing a similar situation as my son. They did not show any symptoms and their test results came back negative after they were admitted."
She said the family's quarantine period has been extended to March 6.
"Our lives have been disrupted again and it's hard not to feel disappointed. My older son has not been going to school and my maid has not been able to send money back home for three months," she said.
"I also have an online business, but I'm not able to work."
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