KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 — UDA Holdings Bhd chairman Hisham Hamdan, who had tested positive for Covid-19 and is patient 26, clarified today that he had visited Shanghai before there was a recorded case in the city.
In a statement today, Hisham said he was in Shanghai attending a conference from January 13 till January 17.
“Up to that point, the only confirmed cases in China were from the city of Wuhan, which I never visited. There was no suspicion, at that time, for any concern with regards to visiting Shanghai.
“Shanghai’s first recorded case was on the 20th of January. In Malaysia, (only) on the 25th of January, a week after I arrived home from Shanghai, the Ministry of Health issued an advisory for Malaysia to postpone or avoid travel to China.
“On the 30th of January, the World Health Organisation, as a result of the novel coronavirus, it was officially declared a ‘public health emergency of international concern’. This all happened well after I returned from Shanghai,” he said.
Hisham then pointed out that all scientific and medical research known so far points to the virus having a two-week incubation period.
“Given that I returned on the 17th of January, and given that I exhibited symptoms on the 27th of February, it is — as far as medical research is concerned — not possible for me to have obtained the virus from my trip to Shanghai.
“Furthermore, the earliest close contact patients linked to me are from a meeting on the 21st of February, five weeks after I returned. Unless new medical research tells us otherwise, it is important to keep the facts, as we know them now, clear. My visit to Shanghai is not linked to my positive confirmation,” he said.
Given the current medical wisdom which suggests the virus has a two-week incubation period, Hisham said unless there is new medical evidence telling otherwise, he did not catch the virus from Shanghai.
“To summarise, based on the facts that I have laid out, while it is true that I am linked to the second wave of cases, being linked to and being the source of are two entirely different things.
“We need to give our full support to MOH as they identify patient zero,” he added.
He then recounted the meetings which he attended, which included those from February 21 to the 27, the earliest contact he had with individuals who have since been confirmed positive for Covid-19.
“As I mentioned, the MOH is still searching for patient zero. I just happened to be the first person who was tested from this string of meetings.
“At the same time, it is worth noting that there were certain meetings on the morning of February 24 where all 13 non-UDA board and management individuals tested negative.
“I also did attend a ministry function in my capacity as UDA chairman on February 27, but I would like to clarify that I did not attend any political functions,” he said.
Hisham also gave an account of how he first experienced symptoms.
“On February 27, I started exhibiting symptoms, namely fever and a cough. That afternoon, I went to the SJMC (Subang Jaya Medical Centre) Outpatient Center to get myself tested as I was concerned that I had dengue fever.
“While there, I also specifically requested for the Covid-19 test. After doing the test, I went home and stayed home.
“On February 28, in the evening, I received my first round of test results stating that I had tested positive. I was then asked to proceed to Sungai Buloh Hospital on February 29 to be isolated and treated.
“It was there that my positive results were confirmed,” he said.
At that point, Hisham was the 26th person in Malaysia to be tested positive for Covid-19, but he however clarified that it did not necessarily mean that he was the 26th person in Malaysia to be infected by it.
Hisham said there were potentially others who had been infected earlier but not tested.
“Accordingly, I worked with Dr Haikal (Dr Muhammad Haikal Ghazali from Selangor Health State Department) and Dr Zaza (Dr Zaza Rida Zakiman from the Petaling Health District Office) to come up with a contact tracing list, along with colleagues at UDA and at Khazanah (Khazanah Nasional Berhad).
“In addition, my family was also tested. My family have all, Alhamdullilah, tested negative,” he said.
Unfortunately, Hisham said, two individuals caught the virus from him: his driver at UDA as well as the SJMC paramedic who was attending to him.
In his statement, Hisham also confirmed that the second wave of Covid-19 cases in Malaysia are linked to him.
He said Dr Haikal and Dr Zaza had arranged a sizeable number of tests for those in UDA and Khazanah who had been in close contact with him.
Hisham also called on the public to give them their full support, to use facts before spreading news or opinions, and to respect the confidentiality and privacy of individuals going through their recovery.