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19 new COVID cases in S'pore, 3 Singaporeans among 15 imported cases

A man wearing a protective face mask rides past in a bicycle at a housing estate amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Singapore June 1, 2020.  REUTERS/Edgar Su
A man wearing a protective face mask rides past in a bicycle at a housing estate amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Singapore on 1 June, 2020. (PHOTO: Reuters)

SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed 19 new COVID-19 cases as of Thursday (30 September) noon, taking Singapore’s total case count to 57,784.

Of the new cases, one is in the community, 15 are imported cases and three are workers residing in dormitories. About 5 per cent of the new cases are unlinked while 14 of them are asymptomatic.

The MOH removed two community cases in its update from the afternoon report. The initial test results for cases 57918 and 57919 had been borderline-positive and further tests have confirmed that they do not have COVID-19 infection.

“All necessary public health actions had been taken earlier and neither the cases nor their contacts had been exposed to risk of infection due to the initial classification,” the MOH said.

The sole community case, a permanent resident, is linked to previous cases. Case 57915 had been identified as a contact of previously confirmed cases, and had been placed on quarantine earlier. He was tested during quarantine to determine his status, even though he is asymptomatic.

Overall, the number of new cases in the community has remained stable at an average of fewer than one case per day in the past two weeks. The number of unlinked cases in the community has also remained stable at an average of fewer than one case per day in the past two weeks.

Amongst the 15 imported cases, three (cases 57914, 57926 and 57927) are Singaporeans and two (cases 57920 and 57928) are Singapore permanent residents who returned to Singapore from Indonesia on 19 September and India on 17 September and 19 September.

Three (cases 57929, 57930 and 57931) are work pass/work permit holders currently employed in Singapore who arrived from France on 20 September, the Philippines on 18 September and India on 19 September. Two (cases 57912 and 57913) are student’s pass holders who arrived from India on 19 September. Another case (57921) is a short-term visit pass holder who arrived from India on 28 September. He was allowed entry into Singapore as he was already receiving medical care in Singapore and had returned for further treatment.

All of them had been placed on 14-day Stay-Home Notice (SHN) upon arrival in Singapore, and were tested while serving their SHN at dedicated facilities.

The remaining four (cases 57922, 57923, 57924 and 57925) are special pass holders who are crew members of a ship. They arrived in Singapore from Malaysia on 23 September and had not disembarked from the ship. They subsequently reported symptoms and were swabbed while on the ship, where they had remained until their test results came back positive for COVID-19. They were then conveyed in ambulances to a hospital.

Amongst the three cases residing in dormitories, one had been identified earlier as a contact of previous cases, and had already been quarantined to prevent further transmission. He was tested during quarantine to determine his status.

The remaining two cases were detected through surveillance testing, such as the bi-weekly rostered routine testing of workers living in dormitories.

As there have been no more cases linked to 8 Sungei Kadut Loop for the past two incubation periods or 28 days, the cluster has been closed.

Ah Ye Kopi & Toast at Junction Nine was added to the list of public places visited by COVID-19 cases in the community while infectious from 17-29 September.

As a precautionary measure, persons who had been at these locations during the specified timings should monitor their health closely for 14 days from their date of visit.

“There is no need to avoid places where confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been. The National Environment Agency will engage the management of affected premises to provide guidance on cleaning and disinfection.”

99% of total cases have recovered

With 24 more patients discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities on Thursday, 57,512 cases – or 99.5 per cent of the total – have fully recovered from the infection.

Most of the 44 hospitalised cases are stable or improving, while none is in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

A total of 201 patients with mild symptoms or are clinically well but still test positive are isolated and cared for at community facilities.

Apart from 27 patients who have died from COVID-19 complications, 15 others who tested positive for the virus were determined to have died from unrelated causes, including three whose deaths were attributed to a heart attack and another four, whose deaths were attributed to coronary heart disease.

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