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SINGAPORE: Singapore reported four new cases of COVID-19 as of noon on Thursday (November 19), the Ministry of Health (MINSA) said.
All the new cases were imported and either given a stay-at-home notice or isolated upon arrival in Singapore, the ministry said.
No cases of local transmission were reported for the ninth consecutive day.
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The only symptomatic case reported on Thursday is that of a 68-year-old Singaporean who returned from Indonesia. The man, known as Case 58343, was confirmed to have COVID-19 on November 18.
The Health Ministry said the man had experienced shortness of breath since November 11. However, he stated that he did not have any of the symptoms specified, including shortness of breath, on his health declaration form submitted for immigration clearance on November 17.
“Investigations are ongoing to assess whether there has been any non-compliance with our travel requirements. We urge everyone to continue exercising social responsibility and will not hesitate to take compliance measures against those who break the rules,” the Health Ministry said.
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The other new cases include a permanent resident who returned from India and a currently employed Singaporean work permit holder who arrived from Indonesia.
The remaining case is a special pass holder who arrived from Montenegro to board a ship docked here as a member of the crew.
1 PATIENT IN INTENSIVE CARE UNIT
Six more cases have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities, bringing Singapore’s total recoveries to 58,052.
There are 28 cases still in the hospital. Of these, most are stable or improve with a patient in the intensive care unit. Another 31 cases are being isolated and treated in community facilities.
As of Thursday, Singapore has reported a total of 58,139 cases and 28 deaths from the disease.
READ: Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Deliveries Could Begin ‘Before Christmas’
THE UNITED STATES, EUROPE COULD APPROVE THE VACCINE NEXT MONTH
Pfizer and BioNTech said they could get an emergency authorization in the US and Europe for their COVID-19 vaccine next month after final trial results showed a 95 percent success rate and no serious side effects.
The efficacy of the vaccine was found to be consistent across ages and ethnicities, a promising sign given that the disease has disproportionately harmed the elderly and certain groups.
The United States could grant emergency use in the middle of next month, and conditional approval in the EU could be obtained in the second half of December, BioNTech said.
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