[ad_1]
SINGAPORE: There were 22 new cases of COVID-19 in Singapore as of noon on Thursday (February 4), the Ministry of Health (MOH) said.
All new cases were imported and placed on a stay-at-home notice or isolated upon arrival in Singapore. Three cases were symptomatic.
Additionally, an unrelated community case reported Wednesday, known as Case 59935, has been reclassified as an imported case.
The woman’s serology test came back positive, indicating a probable past infection, the ministry said.
The woman, a 35-year-old long-term visitor pass holder, tested positive for COVID-19 two weeks after her stay-at-home notice ended after a trip to India.
His swab test performed on January 17 during his stay-at-home advisory was negative for COVID-19, and he completed his stay in a dedicated facility on January 20.
His infection was detected when he took a COVID-19 test prior to departure on Tuesday in preparation for another trip to India.
“Given his HIV status and recent travel history to India from November 30, 2020 to January 6, we have reclassified this case as imported,” the Health Ministry said on Thursday.
IMPORTED CASES
Among the imported cases on Thursday were three Singaporean citizens and two permanent residents who returned from India, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
There are also two dependent pass holders who came from Germany and Japan.
Four work pass holders who arrived from Indonesia, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates are also among the imported cases.
Eight other cases are work permit holders who came from Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia. Six of them are foreign domestic workers.
The remaining three cases are holders of short-term visiting passes who arrived from Indonesia. One of them came to Singapore for a job placement, while the other two came to visit relatives who are Singapore citizens or permanent residents.
GOLDEN VILLAGE YISHUN, SUN PLAZA VISITED BY COVID-19 CASES
Four locations were added to the ministry’s list of public places visited by COVID-19 cases during its infectious period. They are: Sun Plaza, Golden Village Yishun, Northpoint City and Shivam Restaurant.
The Health Ministry also said Thursday that 28 more cases of COVID-19 have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities, bringing the total to 59,348.
There are currently 38 hospitalized patients and none in the intensive care unit.
Another 209 cases are isolated in community facilities. These are those who have mild symptoms or are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19.
Overall, the number of new cases in the community has increased from one case in the previous week to three cases in the last week, the Health Ministry said.
The number of unrelated cases in the community has also increased from zero in the previous week to two cases in the last week.
“We will continue to closely monitor these numbers, as well as the cases detected through our surveillance program,” the Health Ministry said.
Among the 199 confirmed cases reported between January 29 and February 4, a total of 112 cases tested positive on their serological tests. Thirty-five were negative and 52 serology results are pending.
As of Thursday, Singapore has reported a total of 59,624 COVID-19 cases, with 29 deaths.
SINGAPORE AUTHORIZES SECOND COVID-19 VACCINE
The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has granted provisional authorization for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine to be used in Singapore for people 18 years of age or older.
“The HSA’s review of the available clinical data found that the benefits of the Modern COVID-19 vaccine outweigh the known risks,” the authority said Wednesday.
“The vaccine demonstrated a high vaccine efficacy of 94 percent.”
The first shipment is expected to arrive around March, the Health Ministry said.
Moderna’s vaccine is the second COVID-19 vaccine licensed for use in Singapore, after the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
READ: 34 Chinatown visitors fined for not wearing masks, gathered in groups of more than 8
ADDITIONAL TEST MEASURES FOR NEWLY ARRIVED FOREIGN WORKERS
On Wednesday, MOM also announced the extension of the seven-day post-stay-at-home trial program for newly arrived workers with work permits and S Pass in the construction, marine and process sectors of countries and regions. higher risk.
Previously, only those heading to the dormitories were subject to the additional testing.
The ministry said these additional measures are necessary to “further reduce the risk of transmission from newly arrived migrant workers to the workplace.”
CHECK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
