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COVID-19: S'pore confirms 347 new cases and 27th-related death; no patient in ICU

Cyclists ride along Marina Bay overlooking the financial business district in Singapore on July 14, 2020. - Singapore plunged into recession in the second quarter as the economy contracted more than 40 percent, preliminary data showed on July 14, with the trade-dependent city state hammered by the coronavirus in another ominous sign for the global recovery. (Photo by Roslan RAHMAN / AFP) (Photo by ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Cyclists ride along Marina Bay overlooking the financial business district in Singapore. (PHOTO: AFP via Getty Images)

SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Health (MOH) on Tuesday (14 July) confirmed 347 more COVID-19 cases in Singapore, bringing the total to 46,629, as well as the city-state’s 27th coronavirus-related death.

A 62-year-old Singaporean man, identified as case 17168, died from COVID-19 complications on Tuesday. The man – who had a history of diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol level – was confirmed to be infected with the virus on 30 April.

“Sengkang General Hospital has reached out to his family and is extending assistance to them,” the MOH said.

The ministry also announced a new cluster of eight cases linked to a foreign worker dormitory at 96 Kaki Bukit Industrial Terrace.

Of the 347 new cases, seven – including one Singaporean – are classified as cases in the community, while two – both Singaporeans – are imported cases. The remaining 338 are foreign workers residing in dorms.

Overall, only one per cent of the new cases have no established links.

Of the seven community cases, three – no. 46715, 46716 and 46722 – are linked to previous cases or clusters.

“They had all been identified as contacts of previously confirmed cases, and had been tested during their quarantine to determine their status, even though they are asymptomatic,” said the ministry.

The remaining four community cases that are unlinked belong in the construction sector and had been swabbed as part of periodic screening of workers in essential services who are living outside the dorms, the MOH added.

Three of these cases – no. 46385, 46386, and 46387 – are asymptomatic.

All four unlinked cases are undergoing epidemiological investigations while all the identified close contacts of the cases have been isolated and placed on quarantine, said the ministry. These close contacts will be tested at the start and end of their quarantine period so as to detect asymptomatic cases.

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

The two imported cases were identified as Singaporeans who returned to Singapore from India on 9 July. They had been placed on a 14-day stay-home notice upon their arrival in Singapore, and had been tested while serving the notice, said the ministry.

The MOH noted that the number of new cases in the community has decreased from an average of 14 cases per day in the week before, to an average of 13 per day in the past week.

On the other hand, the number of unlinked cases in the community has increased, from an average of six cases per day in the week before, to an average of seven per day in the past week.

To date, more than 215,000 foreign workers – or two-thirds of those living in dorms – have been tested and cleared in an ongoing effort, added the ministry. Of Singapore’s total COVID-19 tally, 43,942 – or 94 per cent – are workers living in dorms.

“We are on track to clear about 80 per cent of workers staying in the dorms by end-July, and to complete the testing of dorm residents around mid-August,” it said.

The ministry said to expect a higher number of confirmed cases from foreign workers living in dorms over the new few days.

“In the next few days, we have a larger population of migrant workers in various purpose-built dorms completing their isolation period and being tested for COVID-19,” it added, noting that some of them came from dorms with a higher prevalence of COVID-19 infection.

92% of cases recovered, zero in ICU

With 196 more patients discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities on Tuesday, 42,737 cases – some 92 per cent of the total tally – have fully recovered from the infection.

Most of the 161 hospitalised cases are stable or improving, while none are in critical condition in the intensive care unit for the first time in months.

A total of 3,704 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, 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, 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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