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SINGAPORE: Singapore reported 10 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday (December 26), including a one-year-old girl and a three-year-old girl.
All new cases were imported and placed on a stay-at-home notice or isolated upon arrival in Singapore, the Ministry of Health (MINSA) said in its daily update.
There were no locally transmitted COVID-19 cases.
ONGOING INVESTIGATION TO EVALUATE IF A NEW CASE IS LINKED TO MANDARIN ORCHARD
The 10 imported cases include two Singaporeans who returned from the UK.
There are also two work permit holders who came from Bangladesh and India.
Three cases are dependent pass holders who arrived from India: two girls aged one and three and one boy aged eight.
The remaining three cases are holders of short-term visiting passes. Two of them are relatives of Singaporeans who came from India and Qatar, while the third is the caregiver of a person who was already receiving medical care in Singapore and had returned for further treatment. The caregiver is a Malaysian who came from Indonesia.
The case that came from Qatar is a Lebanese national who fulfilled his stay-at-home notice at Mandarin Orchard Singapore. He was moved to another dedicated facility on December 20 when the Health Ministry began investigations of the 13 previously reported cases that had delivered their notice to stay home at the hotel between October 22 and November 11.
The man tested negative twice after a swab was taken on December 19 and 21, the Health Ministry said. However, his December 24 swab at the end of the stay-at-home notice came back positive. Your serological test result is negative.
Investigations are ongoing to assess whether he is linked to those cases, the Health Ministry said.
RECOVERIES
The Health Ministry also said Saturday that 10 more cases of COVID-19 have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities. In total, 58,362 people have fully recovered from COVID-19 in Singapore.
There are currently 37 confirmed cases that are still in the hospital, most of them stable or improving. There are no COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit.
In all, 91 are isolated and cared for in community facilities. These are those who have mild symptoms, or are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19.
As of Saturday, Singapore has reported 58,519 cases of COVID-19, with 29 deaths.
CONCORD INTERNATIONAL HOSPITAL ORDERED TO SUSPEND MEDICAL CARE SERVICES
On Saturday, the Health Ministry said Concord International Hospital was ordered to suspend all health care services effective December 19 after “several major lapses” affecting patient safety were discovered during inspections.
Adam Road Private Hospital “failed to comply with the Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics Act in several areas, which would have an impact on patient safety.”
The Health Ministry is working with the hospital to review its lapses and processes, the ministry said.
READ: Concord International Hospital Ordered To Stop Providing Health Care Services Temporarily Due To ‘Significant Failures’
ANOTHER POSSIBLE CASE LINKED TO MANDARIN ORCHARD
On Friday, the Health Ministry announced that a man who had returned from the Philippines on December 10 and previously tested negative twice for COVID-19 had tested positive on Thursday.
The 47-year-old permanent resident had honored his stay-at-home notice at Mandarin Orchard upon arrival earlier this month.
He was transferred to another specialized facility on December 20 when the Ministry of Health began investigations of the 13 previously reported cases.
The man was swabbed on December 19 and 21, and his test results came back negative for COVID-19 infection.
As a precautionary measure, he was swabbed again upon completion of his stay-at-home notice on December 24. His test result came back positive that night.
Investigations are underway to assess whether it may also be linked to the 13 cases. The result of his serological test is still pending, the Health Ministry said.
READ: 14 New COVID-19 Cases in Singapore, All Imported, Including Man Who Stayed at Mandarin Orchard Hotel
SOUTH KOREA RESTRICTIONS
All travelers entering Singapore after 11:59 p.m. on Saturday and who have traveled to South Korea in the last 14 days must submit their stay-at-home notice at specific facilities.
The tightening of border measures is due to a “sustained increase” in COVID-19 cases in South Korea, the Health Ministry said.
The new measures will apply to Singapore-based returning travelers under the Singapore-South Korea Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) agreement.
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