COVID-19: Singapore confirms 113 new cases including 1 Singaporean
SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed 113 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore as of Thursday (25 June) noon, bringing the total to 42,736.
Of them, five are classified as community cases - one Singaporean man, two work pass holders and two work permit holders - while the remaining 108 patients are foreign workers living in dormitories.
Of the community cases, two had been picked up as a result of surveillance and screening, and two had been placed on quarantine earlier. The 50-year-old Singaporean man, case 42761, had been tested when he sought medical treatment and is an unlinked case.
All four work pass and work permit holders were tested even though they are asymptomatic.
Amongst them, a 38-year-old Bangladeshi man, case 42669, and a 35-year-old male Indian national, case 42684, had been identified as contacts of previously confirmed cases, and had already been quarantined at government quarantine facilities. They were swabbed during quarantine to verify their status.
The remaining two cases - a 42-year-old male Indian national (case 42731) and a 38-year-old male Filipino (case 42732) - were tested as part of efforts to screen workers in essential services.
Besides the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, serological tests were conducted for the four foreign workers in the community and the results were positive, which indicate likely past infection.
Overall, the number of new cases in the community has decreased, from an average of seven cases per day in the week before, to an average of four per day in the past week. The number of unlinked cases in the community has remained stable at an average of two per day in the past two weeks.
There was no new cluster listed on Thursday.
163 dormitories cleared of COVID-19
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said on Tuesday that 31 more dorms have been cleared of COVID-19: 27 factory-converted dormitories and four construction temporary quarters.
Four blocks for recovered workers in three purpose-built dorms have also been cleared, the MOM added.
This takes the total number to 163 dorms and 18 blocks for recovered workers in 11 purpose-built dorms cleared of COVID-19.
As of Monday, about 79,000 foreign workers have been cleared of COVID-19, including those residing in government-provided accommodation facilities, said the MOM. Last week, a forecast of dormitories and blocks to be cleared from now till August onwards was published on the ministry’s website.
85% have fully recovered
With 305 more patients discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities on Thursday, 36,604 cases – some 85 per cent of the total tally – have fully recovered from the infection.
Most of the 189 hospitalised cases are stable or improving, while at least one is in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
A total of 5,917 cases 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, 11 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 15 June, the ministry has conducted 576,189 swab tests, of which 340,894 were done on unique individuals. This translates to around 101,100 swabs conducted per 1 million total population, and about 59,800 unique individuals swabbed per 1 million total population.
Singapore entered Phase 2 of its reopening – with various safe distancing measures still in place – on 19 June. This phase is expected to last up to six months or longer, according to authorities.
Singapore’s General Election will take place on 10 July during this phase.
Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore
More Singapore stories:
GE2020: No indications of three-cornered fights, say SDP leaders
A busier and more active 13th Parliament
GE2020: PAP unveils former IMDA chief, former IHH Healthcare CEO in election line-up
On The Mic: GE2020 — Jose Raymond of the Singapore People's Party
