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Patient suspected of having Wuhan virus taken from Eastpoint Mall to Tan Tock Seng Hospital

SINGAPORE — A patient suspected of having the Wuhan virus was taken in an ambulance to Tan Tock Seng Hospital on Thursday (Jan 23), a spokesperson from Eastpoint Mall confirmed on Friday, after video footage of the scene began circulating on social media.

Video footage of the scene has been circulating on social media.

Video footage of the scene has been circulating on social media.

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SINGAPORE — A patient suspected of having the Wuhan virus was taken in an ambulance to Tan Tock Seng Hospital on Thursday (Jan 23), a spokesperson from Eastpoint Mall confirmed on Friday, after video footage of the scene began circulating on social media.

The video shows the patient being carried on a stretcher into an ambulance, surrounded by people donning masks and surgical suits, outside Eastpoint Mall.

In response to TODAY’s queries, a spokesperson from Eastpoint Mall said the patient had visited the Raffles Medical clinic at the mall.

The clinic notified the mall’s management that the suspected patient required an escort to the ambulance pick-up point. The affected areas were immediately disinfected, the spokesperson added.

The spokesperson said: “Eastpoint Mall has identified designated routes to escort suspected patients with symptoms as they leave clinics located within the mall.

“We have also ensured the usage of personal protective equipment while setting up or cleaning affected areas, increased the frequency of cleaning and deployed hand sanitisers at common areas such as customer service, toilets and the fire command centres.”

The mall is conducting twice daily temperature checks for mall management staff and contractors.

“We have advised staff and tenants to remain vigilant, practise good hygiene, and to immediately seek medical attention should they exhibit any symptoms associated with the novel coronavirus.”

Raffles Medical Group said the clinic has been disinfected.

“All our frontline staff are trained in infection control and have followed the Ministry of Health (MOH) protocol in response to such situations,” it said in a media statement.

“We will continue to work with MOH closely to monitor the situation regarding the latest updates and protocol to respond appropriately.”

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said on its website that it has "verified that a patient, who was seen at the Raffles Medical clinic at Eastpoint Mall on Jan 23, 2020, was subsequently transported via dedicated ambulance to the hospital for further investigation". It added: "We would like to assure the public that this is part of the protocols that MOH has put in place to safeguard public safety."

Separately, at a media briefing on Friday, MOH officials said there were 44 suspect cases as of Friday noon, out of which 13 have been ruled out, and three have been confirmed.

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