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SINGAPORE – The Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed 94 more cases of COVID-19 as of Friday (Aug 28), bringing Singapore’s total to 56,666.
The ministry also announced the closure of the cluster at Bukit Panjang Integrated Transport Hub, as there have been no cases related to it or the last two incubation periods, or 28 days.
Of these, four, all Singaporeans, are classified as community cases, while ten, including three Singaporeans and four permanent residents, are imported cases.
Among the 80 remaining cases residing in dormitories, 58, more than half of the daily count on Friday, are from Sungei Tengah Lodge, who had previously been quarantined, the Health Ministry said.
Overall, 70 workers had previously been identified as previous case contacts and were evaluated during quarantine to determine their status, while the remaining ten recovered through the routine tests listed.
“Following the detection of cases at Sungei Tengah Lodge, we have quarantined about 4,500 workers and have so far analyzed about 3,000 of them,” the ministry added. The dorm was reported as a group on August 22.
The number of dormitory cases is expected to remain high in the coming days as authorities complete testing of the remaining quarantined workers, he said.
In addition to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, or smear, the Ministry of Health also conducted serological tests to determine whether some of the bedroom-residing cases are current or past infections.
The results of the serological tests of eight cases were positive, indicating probable past infections, the ministry said.
Overall, foreign workers residing in dormitories account for 94.5 percent, or 53,546 cases, of Singapore’s total COVID-19 count.
The age of the cases ranges from six to 88 years.
Of Singapore’s four community cases, three (56743, 56744 and 56746) were identified as previously confirmed case contacts and tested during the previous quarantine, the Health Ministry said, adding that they were tested during their quarantine.
The remaining community case, 56740, was detected under enhanced community testing to assess all people over the age of 13 who were diagnosed with an acute respiratory infection on first presentation to a doctor, the ministry added.
Epidemiological investigations into the case are ongoing, he said. All identified close contacts of the case have been isolated and quarantined, and will be tested at the beginning and end of their quarantine period.
“We will also carry out serological tests for her household contacts to determine if she may have been infected by them,” said the Ministry of Health.
Of the 10 imported cases, seven (56694, 56695, 56696, 56697, 56704, 56745, and 56750) are Singaporeans or PR who returned to Singapore from India between August 16-18.
Two others, 56685 and 56690, are holders of dependent passes and long-term passes that arrived from India on August 12 and 16. Case 56685, a six-year-old girl, is the youngest, while 56694, an 88-year-old man, is the largest of all the cases announced on Friday.
These nine imported cases were placed on the 14-day stay-at-home notice upon arrival here and tested while serving their notice at specialized facilities, the Health Ministry said.
The remaining case, 56726, is a short-term visit pass holder who was allowed to enter Singapore because he was seeking medical treatment here.
The 58-year-old Indonesian woman was taken directly to the hospital upon arrival here.
MINSA noted that the number of new cases in the community has remained stable at an average of two cases per day in the last two weeks.
Similarly, the number of unrelated cases in the community has also remained stable at an average of one case per day in the past two weeks. Of the new cases on Friday, only three percent have no established links.
More than 55,300 cases discharged; no patient in ICU
With 198 more patients discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities on Friday, 55,337 cases, about 97.7 percent of the count, have fully recovered from the infection.
Most of the 71 hospitalized cases are stable or improving, while none are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
