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COVID-19: Singapore confirms nine new cases, total at 187

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE - FEBRUARY 28: A motorist wearing a mask waits at the traffic at the Central Business District on February 28, 2020 in Singapore. The coronavirus, originating in Wuhan, China has spread to over 80,000 people globally, more than 50 countries have now been infected.  (Photo by Ore Huiying/Getty Images)
A motorist wearing a face mask waits in the Central Business District of Singapore. (PHOTO: Ore Huiying/Getty Images)

SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Health (MOH) on Thursday (12 March) confirmed nine new cases of the novel coronavirus in Singapore, bringing the total to 187.

Of the new cases:

  • Three are part of the cluster involving the private dinner function at SAFRA Jurong on 15 February;

  • Five are imported cases; and

  • One is linked to a previous case.

Cases 179, 185, 186: Linked with SAFRA Jurong cluster

Case 179 is a 66-year-old female Singaporean who had been in Malaysia on 22 February. She is currently warded in an isolation room at National University Hospital (NUH). She is a contact of Case 121 and is linked to the cluster involving the private dinner function at SAFRA Jurong.

She reported onset of symptoms on 27 February and had sought treatment at a general practitioner (GP) clinic on 29 February, Monday and Wednesday. She was referred to NUH on Wednesday, and subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on Wednesday afternoon.

Prior to hospital admission, she had mostly stayed at her home at Jurong West Street 73.

Case 185 is a 34-year-old male Singaporean who had been in Malaysia from 22 to 23 February. He was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on Thursday morning and is currently warded in an isolation room at National Centre of Infectious Diseases (NCID). He is linked to Case 142.

Case 186 a 64-year-old male Singapore Citizen who has no recent travel history to affected countries and regions. He was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on Wednesday morning and is currently warded in an isolation room at NCID. He is linked to Case 166.

Cases 180, 181, 182, 183, 187: Imported cases

Case 180 is an imported case involving a 71-year-old male Singaporean who had been in the United States from 27 February to 10 March. He was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on Thursday morning, and is currently warded at NCID.

Case 181 is an imported case involving a 83-year-old male Indonesian national who had arrived in Singapore on Monday. He was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on Thursday morning, and is currently warded at Gleneagles Hospital.

Case 182 is an imported case involving a 76-year-old female Indonesian national who arrived in Singapore on Monday. She was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on Thursday morning, and is currently warded in an isolation room at Gleneagles Hospital. She is a family member of case 181.

Case 183 is a 29-year-old male Singaporean who had been in Malaysia from 29 February to 4 March. He was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on Thursday morning, and is currently warded in an isolation room at NCID. He had attended a mass religious gathering at a mosque in Malaysia, and the Malaysian authorities had subsequently reported several confirmed COVID-19 cases linked to the event.

Case 187 is a 48-year-old male Singaporean who had been in Malaysia from 28 February to 2 March. He was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on Thursday morning and is currently warded in an isolation room at NCID. He had attended a mass religious gathering at a mosque in Malaysia, and the Malaysian authorities had subsequently reported several confirmed COVID-19 cases linked to the event.

Case 184: Filipino linked to previous case

Case 184 is a 35-year-old male Filipino who is a Singapore work pass holder, and had been in the Philippines from 24 February to 1 March. He was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on Thursday morning, and is currently warded in an isolation room at the NCID. He is linked to Case 172.

Updates on previous cases

Case 171 is an imported case involving a 27-year-old male Singaporean who had been in France from 25 February to 1 March, and Spain from 1 March to 6 March. He reported onset of symptoms on Monday and had sought treatment at a GP clinic the next day. He was referred to the emergency department of the NCID on Tuesday, and subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on Wednesday morning.

Prior to hospital admission, he had mostly stayed at his home at Jalan Haji Salam.

Case 172, a 42-year-old female Philippines national who is a Singapore work pass holder, reported onset of symptoms on 5 March and had sought treatment at a GP clinic on Monday. Subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on Wednesday morning.

Prior to hospital admission, she had gone to work at AXA Singapore at Shenton Way. She stays at Lorong 28 Geylang.

Case 173 is a 31-year-old male Singaporean who had been in France from 15 February to 7 March, reported onset of symptoms on Monday and presented at the emergency department of the NCID on Tuesday. Subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on Wednesday morning.

He is a Republic of Singapore Air Force serviceman but had not gone to work since returning to Singapore. He stays at Telok Blangah Street 31.

Case 174, a 67-year-old female Singaporean who is linked to the cluster involving the private dinner function at SAFRA Jurong, was placed under quarantine on 6 March. She reported onset of symptoms on 7 March, and subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on Wednesday morning.

Prior to hospital admission, she had mostly stayed at her home at Gangsa Road.

Case 175, a 44-year-old male Singapore Citizen who had been in France from 15 February to 7 March, is a contact of Cases 165, 169 and 173, and is one of the imported cases who had been in France on official duty. He reported onset of symptoms on Tuesday, and was conveyed by ambulance to the NCID on the same day. Subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on Wednesday morning.

He is a Republic of Singapore Air Force serviceman but had not gone to work since returning to Singapore. He stays at Toh Tuck Road.

Case 176, an imported case involving a 37-year-old female British national who works in Singapore, reported onset of symptoms on 7 March while in the UK and had sought treatment at Gleneagles Hospital on Tuesday.

She was conveyed by ambulance to NCID on the same day. Subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on Wednesday morning. She stays in the Dover Road area.

Case 177 is an imported case involving a 26-year-old male Singaporean who had been in the US from 14 to 24 February, Britain from 28 February to 1 March, and France from 2 to 7 March.

He reported onset of symptoms on Monday and had sought treatment at a GP clinic on Tuesday. He was conveyed by ambulance to the NCID and subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on Wednesday morning.

Prior to hospital admission, he had mostly stayed at his home at Telok Blangah Street 31.

Case 178 is an imported case involving a 37-year-old male Philippines national who is a Singapore work pass holder. He reported onset of symptoms on 8 March and had sought treatment at a GP clinic on Monday. He presented at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital on Tuesday and subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on Wednesday morning.

Prior to hospital admission, he mostly stayed at his home at Jurong East Street 21.

9 in ICU, 96 cases have been discharged

To date, a total of 96 cases have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospital. Of the 91 confirmed cases who are still in hospital, most are stable or improving. Nine are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

As of Thursday noon, MOH has identified 4,550 close contacts who have been quarantined. Of these, 1,248 are currently quarantined, and 3,302 have completed their quarantine.

COVID-19’s death toll surpasses SARS epidemic

Declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO), COVID-19 has spread to 124 territories beyond mainland China.

To date, the virus has left more than 3,100 people in China dead and sickened over 127,000 globally. Over 1,547 deaths related to the outbreak have been reported outside mainland China.

At over 12,000 patients including 827 deaths, Italy has the second-highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases as well as the most deaths outside mainland China.

Iran has the third-highest number with 10,075 cases including 429 deaths, while South Korea has the fourth highest number with 7,869 cases including 66 deaths. The United States has 1,336 cases with 38 deaths.

The global tally also includes cruise ship Diamond Princess, moored off Japan, which accounted for 696 cases, including seven related deaths so far.

The novel strain belongs to the same family of coronaviruses as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed nearly 800 people globally during a 2002-2003 outbreak and also started in China.

It likely originated from Wuhan’s Huanan Seafood Market, where live animals or products – such as foxes, wolf puppies, giant salamanders, snakes, porcupines, and camel meat – are sold.

Patients suffering from the new strain may exhibit fever and symptoms of lower respiratory illness – such as coughing or difficulty in breathing – as well as pneumonia-like symptoms like a runny nose, sore throat, and headache.

However, some who have died from it have not displayed symptoms of fever, according to details released by China’s National Health Commission, potentially complicating global efforts to check for infected travellers as they arrive at airports and other travel hubs.

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