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SINGAPORE: A teacher from the Berries enrichment center chain and a PSA employee were the two community cases of COVID-19 among the 10 new infections reported in Singapore on Thursday (February 25).
The remaining eight cases were imported cases and had been placed on a stay-at-home notice upon arrival, the Ministry of Health (MINSA) said in its daily update.
No new infections were reported in the dormitories of foreign workers.
PSA EMPLOYEE VACCINATED BUT PROBABLY INFECTED BEFORE: MOH
The PSA employee had received both doses of his COVID-19 vaccine, but it was likely that he had become infected before the vaccine protected him from infection, the Health Ministry said.
The 33-year-old Malaysian arrived in Singapore on December 23 last year and delivered his stay-at-home notice at a dedicated facility until January 6. His swab taken on January 3 was negative.
The man is a work permit holder who works at PSA as a mooring specialist.
He was asymptomatic and his infection was detected after a test on February 21 as part of the routine tests listed and an individual test two days later.
He was later transferred by ambulance to the National Center for Infectious Diseases.
The result of his serological test has been positive, but the Ministry of Health has assessed that it is likely to be a current infection.
According to the Ministry of Health, the man received his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on January 22 and the second dose on February 14.
“This explains his positive serology test, as he probably started producing antibodies after vaccination,” the ministry said.
“However, since it typically takes a few weeks for an individual to develop immunity after completing the vaccination, it is likely that they were infected before protection was conferred after the vaccination.”
BERRY MASTER
The other community case, a teacher from the Yishun branch of the Berries World of Learning School, developed a runny nose on February 23 after work, the Health Ministry said.
The 27-year-old permanent Singapore resident sought medical treatment at a clinic the next day, where she was tested for COVID-19.
Her test came back positive for COVID-19 on February 25 and she was taken by ambulance to Singapore General Hospital. The result of your serological test is pending.
The Berries branch in Yishun will be closed until February 28 for cleaning and disinfection as a precaution, the Health Ministry said.
PLACES VISITED BY CASES WHILE INFECTIOUS
The Raffles City Mall and NTUC FairPrice in Sembawang Mart were added to a list of places visited by COVID-19 cases during their infectious period.
Raffles City was visited on February 14, while FairPrice supermarket was visited on February 21.
(Table: MOH)
IMPORTED CASES
Among the eight imported cases, two Singaporeans and two permanent residents returned from India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Three cases were foreign domestic workers who arrived from Indonesia and the Philippines.
The remaining case is a short-term visitor pass holder who came from India to visit his family member, a permanent resident of Singapore.
24 more cases discharged
Another 24 cases of COVID-19 have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities, the Health Ministry said. A total of 59,785 cases have fully recovered from the infection.
There are currently 16 confirmed patients still in the hospital, most of whom are stable or improving, with one in critical condition in the intensive care unit. Seventy cases are isolated and cared for in community facilities.
READ: Singapore receives its first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine from Sinovac
READ: Singapore is discussing COVID-19 vaccine certification with other countries, says PM Lee
SINGAPORE IS NOT EXPECTED TO LEAVE PHASE 3 “AT ANY SOON TIME”
The government does not expect Singapore to exit the third phase of reopening its post-COVID-19 circuit breaker “in the short term,” State Health Minister Janil Puthucheary said in Parliament on Thursday.
“Phase 3 is a new normal that will last until such time as there is evidence of the efficacy of the vaccine in preventing future outbreaks, a substantial proportion of the population is vaccinated and the rest of the world also has the virus under control,” he said. Dr. Puthucheary.
Since Singapore entered Phase 3 on December 28 last year, there has been an increase in COVID-19 outbreaks in many countries, as well as the emergence of variants of the virus that are more easily transmitted, he added.
READ: Singapore not expected to exit Phase 3 ‘soon’: Janil Puthucheary
READ: Singapore could allow travelers to choose stay-at-home notification service: MND
The government is also looking into allowing arriving travelers to choose their home accommodation option, State Minister for the Prime Minister’s Office and National Development Tan Kiat How said on Thursday.
“We understand that travelers would like to have more choice and flexibility for their SDFs (Dedicated Stay At Home Notice Facilities),” he said in Parliament, responding to a question on whether there could be a tiered pricing plan for the SDF.
Several hotels have been designated as dedicated facilities for those arriving in Singapore to deliver their stay-at-home notice, to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 in the community.
About 190,000 travelers have stayed at these facilities, Tan said.
As of Thursday, Singapore has reported a total of 59,900 COVID-19 cases.
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