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SINGAPORE: Singapore reported 18 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday (February 12), including two cases in the community that are linked to the owner of the Chinatown Complex stall who had previously tested positive.
There were 16 imported cases, which were placed on stay-at-home notice upon arrival in Singapore and were evaluated while meeting their notice, the Ministry of Health (MINSA) said in its update.
The two new community cases are the 33-year-old son of the Chinatown Complex booth owner and his 62-year-old wife.
The 66-year-old stall owner and his other son, 32, were reported as COVID-19 cases on Thursday.
The four form a new group linked to the owner of the post, identified as case 60138, the Ministry of Health said.
READ: Chinatown complex stall owner and his son working on Swensen’s positive COVID-19 test result at Changi Airport
The 33-year-old son, who is unemployed, was identified as a close contact on Case 60138. He was quarantined in a dedicated facility on February 10.
The Singaporean man was tested for COVID-19 on February 11 even though he was asymptomatic. His test result came back positive the same day and he was taken to the National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID) by ambulance.
Your serological test result has come back positive.
The stall owner’s wife, a homemaker, was quarantined in a dedicated facility on February 10 when Case 60138 was confirmed to have a COVID-19 infection.
The Singaporean woman was tested for COVID-19 the same day even though she was asymptomatic. Her test came back positive on February 11 and she was taken to NCID in an ambulance.
His serological test result was negative, indicating that it was probably a current infection.
Epidemiological investigations are ongoing, the Health Ministry said.
EFFECTIVE CONTACT FOLLOW-UP KEY: MOH
All identified close contacts of the cases, including their family members and coworkers, have been isolated and quarantined.
Tests will be performed at the beginning and end of your quarantine period to detect asymptomatic cases.
The Health Ministry said it will also conduct serological tests for close contacts to determine whether the cases could have been infected by them.
“Effective contact tracing is an important enabler for community transmission of ringfence,” the ministry added.
The Health Ministry noted that both the stall owner’s wife and 33-year-old son do not use the TraceTogether app, and although they both have TraceTogether tokens, they did not carry their tokens with them.
“Individuals are reminded to turn on their TraceTogether app or carry their TraceTogether token at all times so that we can quickly identify and isolate close contacts from COVID-19 cases and limit additional infections,” the MOH said.
READ: Chinatown Complex, City Square Mall Amongst Places Visited by Community COVID-19 Cases During Infectious Period
Two supermarkets within the shopping centers in Pasir Ris were added to the MOH’s list of places visited by COVID-19 cases during their infectious period.
The NTUC FairPrice at Pasir Ris West Plaza was visited on February 3, February 6 and February 10, while the Sheng Siong supermarket in Elias Mall was visited on January 29, February 5 and February 9. .
16 IMPORTED BOXES
One of the imported cases, a long-term visitor pass holder who arrived from Indonesia, arrived from Indonesia on November 26 last year and received a notice to stay at home in a dedicated facility until December 10, said the Ministry of Health.
The swab that was done to him on December 6 while notifying him was negative.
He was asymptomatic and was detected when he took a COVID-19 test prior to departure on February 10 in preparation for his return to Indonesia.
His test result was positive for COVID-19 infection the next day, although the Ct value was very high, indicating a low viral load.
His serological test result has also come back positive.
He reported that prior to his trip to Singapore, he had interacted with his brother in Indonesia, who was confirmed to have the COVID-19 infection in October 2020.
“Since these indicate a probable past infection, we have classified the case as imported. It is likely that it is eliminating tiny fragments of the virus RNA, which are no longer communicable and infectious for others,” said the Ministry of Health.
Three permanent residents who returned from India and Indonesia were also among the 16 imported cases.
An imported case is a dependent’s pass holder who arrived from the UAE.
There were also four work pass holders who came from Myanmar, the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates among the imported cases.
The remaining seven imported infections involved work permit holders who came from India, Indonesia and Myanmar. All except one are domestic workers.
11 MOST DOWNLOADED CASES
The Health Ministry said on Friday that 11 more cases of COVID-19 were discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities. A total of 59,569 patients have fully recovered from the infection.
There are currently 31 confirmed cases still in the hospital, most of which are stable or improving, with one patient in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
Another 148 cases are isolated and treated in community facilities.
READ: Rules for visiting and launching yusheng: 7 things to keep in mind this Chinese New Year amid COVID-19
READ: Moderna COVID-19 vaccine licensed for use in Singapore, first shipment expected around March
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Friday that most of Singapore’s economy is expected to recover this year after last year’s beating from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some sectors, such as transportation, tourism and aviation, may take longer to do so, Lee told reporters after visiting staff members from Singapore Airlines and Changi General Hospital on the first day of the Chinese New Year.
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