Singapore detects 88 new local COVID-19 cases; 23 linked to KTV cluster

[UPDATE Monday, 19 July, at 7.30am: The MOH has clarified that its initial press release had errors. It said that there were 12 cases of serious illness – among them are five cases in the 0-11 years old age group – requiring oxygen supplementation. An updated release shows that there are five cases in total requiring oxygen supplementation. We have reflected the changes accordingly.]

SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Health (MOH) on Sunday (18 July) reported the detection of 92 new cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore, taking the country's total case count to 63,073.

Of the new cases, 88 are local transmissions – of which 25 are part of the growing KTV cluster and 42 are linked to the Jurong Fishery port cluster – said the MOH in a news release.

Thirty of the local cases are linked to past cases and have already been placed on quarantine, while 48 are linked to previous cases and were detected through surveillance.

Ten of the new cases are currently unlinked. Among the new cases are four seniors above the age of 70, who are at risk of serious illness, said the MOH.

There are also four imported cases, all of whom have been placed on Stay-Home Notice (SHN) or isolated upon arrival in Singapore. One case was detected upon arrival, while three developed the illness during SHN or isolation.

29 active clusters under monitoring

There are currently 29 active clusters, ranging between three and 173 infections, the ministry said.

The largest cluster is the KTV lounges/clubs cluster which now has a total of 173 cases.

Among those included in the KTV cluster is a 40-year-old passenger on board a Dream Cruises ship, which turned back three days after it set off from Singapore – on a cruise to nowhere – following the discovery.

The first reported case in the cluster was a Vietnamese hostess on a short-term visit pass to Singapore and who had been to many of the KTV outlets.

The second largest cluster is the Jurong Fishery Port/Hong Lim Market & Food Centre cluster, which currently has 63 infections.

MOH investigations show that there are other cases or clusters at markets and food centres that are likely seeded by fishmongers who visited the Jurong Fishery Port to collect their stock and sell at the markets. It has ordered the closure of Chong Boon Market & Food Centre to all members of the public from 18 July to 1 August. Fresh fish and seafood stallholders at markets managed by the National Environment Agency (NEA) or NEA-appointed operators have also been asked to stop operations as a "precautionary measure" to curb the spread of COVID-19 among fishmongers.

The ministry has also detected cases among fishmongers working in Haig Road Market and Cooked Food Centre, Jurong Central Plaza, and Shunfu Mart. This is in addition to 13 others – including Hong Lim Market & Food Centre, and Chong Boon Market & Food Centre – announced earlier.

As such, the NEA has announced that from Monday, it will, together with Town Councils, be progressively implementing access control with interim fencing and mandatory SafeEntry check-in at markets where COVID-19 cases have been detected among stallholders or stall assistants.

Four more KTV lounges/clubs with likely ongoing transmission

MOH's epidemiological investigations have found that there is likely ongoing transmission at the following KTV lounges/clubs:

• Maze Club (2 Aliwal Street)

• China Doll (1 Sophia Road)

• Club Myth (1 Coleman Street)

• Martell W Ktv Chivas (6 Foch Road)

This brings the total of such premises where there is likely ongoing transmission to 19.

Overall, the MOH noted, the number of new cases in the community has increased from 17 cases in the week before to 325 cases in the past week. "We are likely to see rising cases in the coming days as we step up efforts to detect them to contain their spread in the community," it said. The number of unlinked cases in the community has also increased from eight cases in the week before to 31 cases in the past week.

The 7-day moving average number of all linked community cases and all unlinked community cases are 42.0 and 4.4 respectively.

5 require oxygen supplementation; 1 in ICU

Over 62,000 cases in Singapore, or over 99 per cent of the total tally, have fully recovered from their infection.

As of Sunday, 243 cases are currently warded in the hospital, most of whom are well and under observation. There are currently five cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation, while one case – aged above 60 and unvaccinated – is in critical condition in the intensive care unit (ICU). None of the cases are fully vaccinated.

Apart from the 36 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.

Over the last 28 days, 17 local cases required oxygen supplementation, were admitted to the ICU, or passed away. Of them, 11 are unvaccinated, six are partially vaccinated and none are fully vaccinated.

As of Saturday, 6.73 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered under the national vaccination programme. Some 4.14 million have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

Of some 2.68 million who have completed the full vaccination regimen, 86,182 are individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 and have received at least one dose while the remaining are those who have received two doses.

MOH guidelines state that recovered individuals – who are likely to have a strong immune response against COVID-19 within the first six months after their infection – are recommended to receive a single dose of vaccine to further boost their immunity against the disease.

Those who have received the Sinovac's CoronaVac vaccine locally are not included in Singapore's national vaccination numbers. As of 3 July, 17,296 people here have received one dose of the Chinese-made vaccine.

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