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COVID-19: S'pore confirms 322 new cases, 11 in community; non-compliant firm ordered to close

People cross a street in Singapore on June 23, 2020. - Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called a general election "like no other" on June 23 as the city-state struggles to recover from a major coronavirus outbreak that has swept through crowded migrant worker dormitories. (Photo by Roslan RAHMAN / AFP) (Photo by ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
People cross a street in Singapore on 23 June 2020. (PHOTO: AFP via Getty Images)

SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed on Monday (13 July) an additional 322 cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore, bringing the total to 46,283.

The higher reported daily tally – the city-state’s highest in a month – is mainly due to fewer tests being conducted by the COVID-19 testing laboratories over the public holiday and weekend on 10 July and 11 July, with the backlog of samples being cleared from 12 July, said the ministry.

“The number of cases reported for 9 July and before were not affected,” it added.

Of the new cases, 11 – including on Singaporean and one permanent resident – are classified as cases in the community, while five – including two PRs – are imported cases. The remaining 306 cases are foreign workers residing in dormitories.

Overall, only three per cent have no established links.

Of the 11 community cases, four are linked to previous cases or clusters.

Of them, two – cases 46218 and 46291 – had been identified as contacts of previously confirmed cases, and had been tested during their quarantine to determine their status, even though they are asymptomatic.

Another – case 46374 linked to Tampines Street 62 dorm – was swabbed as he works in essential services, while the fourth – case 46254 – was tested as part of efforts to screen individuals working in frontline COVID-19 operations, the ministry said.

Of the seven unlinked community cases, six – cases 46248, 46249, 46250, 46251, 46252 and 46253 – are asymptomatic, and were identified from the periodic screening of workers in essential services who are living outside dorms.

The remaining case – case 46017 – was tested for COVID-19 after he sought treatment for symptoms.

Epidemiological investigations of the seven unlinked cases are in progress.

“In the meantime, all the identified close contacts of the cases have been isolated and placed on quarantine, and will be tested at the start and end of their quarantine period so that we can detect asymptomatic cases,” said the ministry.

“We will also conduct serological tests for their household contacts to determine if these cases could have been infected by them.”

The ministry added the number of new cases in the community has increased, from an average of 12 cases per day in the week before to an average of 14 per day in the past week.

Similarly, the number of unlinked cases in the community has also increased, from an average of six per day in the week before, to an average of eight per day in the past week.

5 imported cases, Mini Environment Service ordered to close

Amongst the five imported cases, 2 – no. 46217 and 46258 – are PRs who returned to Singapore from India on 6 July and from Pakistan on 20 June respectively.

Another two – 46212 and 46214 – are work pass holders who are currently employed in Singapore and had arrived in Singapore from the Philippines on 30 June.

The remaining case – no. 46213 – is a dependant’s pass holder who returned to Singapore from the USA on 30 June.

“All of them had been placed on 14-day stay-home notice (SHN) upon arrival in Singapore, and had been tested while serving their SHN,” said the MOH.

The ministry also updated on the cases – no. 42616, 45227, and 45821 – who were identified as employees of Mini Environment Service at 120 Lower Delta Road and its investigations into the company for its compliance with safe management and safe distancing measures.

As there were non-compliances observed, the MOH said that it directed that the workplace be closed for a period of 14 days from 13 to 26 July – inclusive – under Section 19 of the Infectious Diseases Act to prevent further spread at the workplace.

“The closure will allow the company to review and tighten its safe management measures,” it added.

“Close contacts of the cases had been placed on quarantine earlier, and all its employees will also be placed under health surveillance and tested for COVID-19.”

The ministry also announced an additional cluster of six cases linked to a dorm at 59H Tuas South Avenue 1.

As of 6 July June, 180,000 foreign workers have been cleared of COVID-19, including those residing in government-provided accommodation facilities. A forecast of dormitories and blocks to be cleared from now till August onwards has been published on the ministry’s website.

Some 400,000 such workers live in dorms here, of which 43,604 have been infected with COVID-19.

92% of cases recovered

With 256 more patients discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities on Monday, 42,541 cases – some 92 per cent of the total tally – have fully recovered from the infection.

Most of the 166 hospitalised cases are stable or improving, while one is in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

A total of 3,550 patients with mild symptoms or are clinically well but still test positive are isolated and cared for at community facilities.

Apart from 26 patients who have died from COVID-19 complications, 14 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, including the 48-year-old male Indian national, whose deaths were attributed to coronary heart disease.

“Only cases where the attending doctor or pathologist attributes the primary or underlying cause of death as due to COVID-19 infection will be added to the COVID-19 death count,” said the MOH in previous press releases, adding that the method of assessment is consistent with international practices for classifying deaths.

As of 6 July, the ministry has conducted 866,414 swab tests, of which 467,008 were done on unique individuals. This translates to around 152,000 swabs conducted per 1 million total population, and about 81,900 unique individuals swabbed per 1 million total population.

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