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SINGAPORE: Singapore reported 11 new COVID-19 cases as of noon on Friday (September 18), including one in the community and one imported infection.
This is the lowest daily figure since March 12, when nine new cases of COVID-19 were reported. The total number of cases in Singapore is 57.543.
State courts on Havelock Road and a Giant supermarket in the Sunshine Place Mall were added to the list of places visited by community cases of COVID-19 during their infectious period.
UPDATED MAP: All places that community COVID-19 cases visited while infectious
SINGLE COMMUNITY CASE WITHOUT LINKAGE
Of the new cases reported on Friday, 10 were asymptomatic.
The only case from the community is a 30-year-old Singaporean man who is currently not linked to previous cases. It was detected after being diagnosed with acute respiratory infection (ARI) in the first medical consultation.
Epidemiological investigations of the case are underway. All of his identified close contacts have been isolated and quarantined, the Health Ministry said, adding that they will be evaluated at the beginning and end of their quarantine period.
Serological tests will also be performed on your household contacts to determine if you may have been infected by them, the Health Ministry said.
The imported case is a work permit holder who arrived in Singapore from India on September 6. The 38-year-old Indian national received a stay-at-home notice upon arrival and was tested while complying with the notice at a dedicated facility.
Of the nine cases residing in dormitories, five were previously identified as previous case contacts and had been quarantined to prevent further transmission.
The remaining four cases were detected by surveillance tests.
“This allows us to detect cases early, including asymptomatic ones, so that we can quickly fence them to prevent further transmission, by aggressively containing, tracing and isolating close contacts,” the Health Ministry said.
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Another 32 COVID-19 cases were discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities.
In all, 57,071 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities.
There are currently 38 patients who are still in the hospital. Of these, most are stable or improving, and no one is in the intensive care unit. A total of 407 people are isolated and cared for in community facilities.
Twenty-seven people have died from complications due to COVID-19.
SALIVA TEST
On Friday, the Health Ministry said it is conducting field tests to assess whether saliva tests can be scaled up for more widespread use in Singapore.
In response to the CNA’s inquiries, the ministry pointed to factors such as the consistency and integrity of sample collection, the efficiency of laboratory processes and the ability to handle large volumes of tests through pooled tests.
Currently, most samples for COVID-19 testing in Singapore are collected using nasopharyngeal (nose) or oropharyngeal (throat) swabs.
READ: The Ministry of Health conducts field tests to verify the feasibility of generalized saliva tests for COVID-19
LIST OF TRAVEL BROKERS FROM SINGAPORE IN ENGLAND
Singapore and Thailand were added to England’s list of COVID-19 travel corridors, the UK government said on Thursday.
Starting Saturday at 4am UK time, travelers from these countries will no longer have to isolate themselves for two weeks upon arrival in England.
LEE: The head of the WHO criticizes the ‘false choice’ between public health and the economy in the fight against COVID-19
The exemption applies to travelers from Singapore and Thailand as long as they have not been to or transited any other non-exempt country in the previous 14 days, said the Department of Transportation and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO ). .
Singapore currently has cross-border travel agreements with China, Malaysia, Brunei, South Korea, and Japan, while talks are ongoing to establish such agreements with Hong Kong, Thailand, and Indonesia.
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