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At least 10 people in SG got COVID-19 from those without symptoms at point of infection

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5 years ago

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It was reported in the media today (3 Apr) that at least 10 people in Singapore have been infected with the coronavirus from those without showing any symptoms.
This startling fact was reported in a joint paper published on Wed (1 Apr), which was co-authored by Associate Professor Vernon Lee, director of communicable diseases at the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The study focused on the pre-symptomatic transmission of Sars-CoV-2, the COVID-19 virus. It uncovered cases in Singapore which people were infected by COVID-19 from others not showing any symptoms of the illness at the point of infection.
In such cases, temperature screening would be useless. In fact, these people without symptoms would not even know they were already carrying the virus. They would only realise after symptoms developed in them later. The study suggests there is a need for the government to account for such cases.
Excerpt of cases
In the study, the researchers examined all the COVID-19 infections in Singapore between Jan 23 and March 16 and found that of the 157 locally transmitted cases, 10 could be attributed to pre-symptomatic transmission. That is to say, people were being infected by those who felt well but were already carrying the virus inside them at the point of infection.
Three of the 10 studied were from the Grace Assembly of God and The Life Church and Missions Singapore cluster, and had attended church service on Jan 19 – the same day when a Chinese couple from Wuhan attended. The 2 PRCs did not show any symptoms at the time in the church service. One of the three, a 52-year-old woman, sat in the same seat that one of the PRC tourists had occupied earlier in the day.
In the Safra Jurong cluster, a 54-year-old woman who had been exposed to a confirmed case at the dinner on 15 Feb, attended the same singing class as another woman, 63, on 24 Feb. Both later were diagnosed with COVID-19. The 63-year-old woman was infected with the virus from the 54-year-old without showing any symptoms when they were together in the singing class.
Then there was a Filipino couple, a nurse and her husband who both work in Singapore and came down with COVID-19. The nurse works at the emergency department of Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH) in Jurong. The nurse’s husband went to the Philippines on 23 Feb to visit a relative who came down with “pneumonia”. He returned back to Singapore on 2 Mar. The relative then passed away. The Filipino nurse reported onset of symptoms on 8 Mar. She was confirmed to have COVID-19 on the 10th while her husband was confirmed to have the virus on 11th. The man is thought to have passed the infection to his wife, before showing symptoms later.
In another case, a woman, 58, was exposed to a confirmed case on 27 Feb at a singing class. On 1 Mar, she attended a church service, and is thought to have infected a woman, 26, and a man, 29, who were seated one row behind her. The elderly woman later developed symptoms only on 3 Mar, 2 days after attending the same church service as the latter two.
In seven of the 10 cases, pre-symptomatic transmission exposure occurred one to three days before the source patient developed symptoms.
MOH reviewing stance on masks
Meanwhile, Director of Medical Services at the Ministry of Health (MOH), Kenneth Mak, told reporters at a COVID-19 media conference on Tue (31 Mar) that his ministry is looking at medical evidence “very carefully” and is conducting a review of its stance on masks.
“As far as masks are concerned, we are in fact in the process of continuing to review the data that’s available, both in the literature as well as the international experience,” Prof Mak said. He added that recommendations would be made after the review is completed.
Up to this point, the Singapore government has been clear on urging members of the public not to wear masks if they are well.

And with regard to the wearing of masks, PM’s wife, Ho Ching, recently wrote on her Facebook page saying that if two people meet and both wear a mask, it would reduce the risk of COVID-19 infections further (‘MOH reviews stance on masks while PM’s wife Ho Ching says make do with homemade ones‘).
“We don’t need a hospital-grade surgical mask for general public use, as the chances of meeting a really sick patient are low,” she said. “We should save the surgical masks for our healthcare workers.”
She then went on to tell a story that in the early 1900s, a Penangite doctor in China was pushing hard on having the healthcare team wear masks. All they had was a surgical gauze, which is quite porous, folded over a piece of cotton cloth.
Likewise, she asked Singaporeans to “make do” with homemade ones.
“So, we too can make do, and be the 1st line of defence by washing hands, keeping a safe distance, or use a mask as an added safe distance, so as to save our healthcare workers and not overwhelm them with too many patients too suddenly,” said Mdm Ho.
 

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Hotel Properties Limited suspends trading ahead of Ong Beng Seng’s court hearing

Hotel Properties Limited (HPL), co-founded by Mr Ong Beng Seng, has halted trading ahead of his court appearance today (4 October). The announcement was made by HPL’s company secretary at about 7.45am, citing a pending release of an announcement. Mr Ong faces one charge of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts and another charge of obstruction of justice. He is due in court at 2.30pm.

Published

16 hours ago

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4 October 2024

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SINGAPORE: Hotel Properties Limited (HPL), the property and hotel developer co-founded by Mr Ong Beng Seng, has requested a trading halt ahead of the Singapore tycoon’s scheduled court appearance today (4 October) afternoon.

This announcement was made by HPL’s company secretary at approximately 7.45am, stating that the halt was due to a pending release of an announcement.

Mr Ong, who serves as HPL’s managing director and controlling shareholder, faces one charge under Section 165, accused of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts, as well as one charge of obstruction of justice.

He is set to appear in court at 2.30pm on 4 October.

Ong’s charges stem from his involvement in a high-profile corruption case linked to former Singaporean transport minister S Iswaran.

The 80-year-old businessman was named in Iswaran’s initial graft charges earlier this year.

These charges alleged that Iswaran had corruptly received valuable gifts from Ong, including tickets to the 2022 Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, flights, and a hotel stay in Doha.

These gifts were allegedly provided to advance Ong’s business interests, particularly in securing contracts with the Singapore Tourism Board for the Singapore GP and the ABBA Voyage virtual concert.

Although Iswaran no longer faces the original corruption charges, the prosecution amended them to lesser charges under Section 165.

Iswaran pleaded guilty on 24 September, 2024, to four counts under this section, which covered over S$400,000 worth of gifts, including flight tickets, sports event access, and luxury items like whisky and wines.

Additionally, he faced one count of obstructing justice for repaying Ong for a Doha-Singapore flight shortly before the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) became involved.

On 3 October, Iswaran was sentenced to one year in jail by presiding judge Justice Vincent Hoong.

The prosecution had sought a sentence of six to seven months for all charges, while the defence had asked for a significantly reduced sentence of no more than eight weeks.

Ong, a Malaysian national based in Singapore, was arrested by CPIB in July 2023 and released on bail shortly thereafter. Although no charges were initially filed against him, Ong’s involvement in the case intensified following Iswaran’s guilty plea.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) had earlier indicated that it would soon make a decision regarding Ong’s legal standing, which has now led to the current charges.

According to the statement of facts read during Iswaran’s conviction, Ong’s case came to light as part of a broader investigation into his associates, which revealed Iswaran’s use of Ong’s private jet for a flight from Singapore to Doha in December 2022.

CPIB investigators uncovered the flight manifest and seized the document.

Upon learning that the flight records had been obtained, Ong contacted Iswaran, advising him to arrange for Singapore GP to bill him for the flight.

Iswaran subsequently paid Singapore GP S$5,700 for the Doha-Singapore business class flight in May 2023, forming the basis of his obstruction of justice charge.

Mr Ong is recognised as the figure who brought Formula One to Singapore in 2008, marking the first night race in the sport’s history.

He holds the rights to the Singapore Grand Prix. Iswaran was the chairman of the F1 steering committee and acted as the chief negotiator with Singapore GP on business matters concerning the race.

 

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Chee Soon Juan questions Shanmugam’s $88 million property sale amid silence from Mainstream Media

Dr Chee Soon Juan of the SDP raised concerns about the S$88 million sale of Mr K Shanmugam’s Good Class Bungalow at Astrid Hill, questioning transparency and the lack of mainstream media coverage. He called for clarity on the buyer, valuation, and potential conflicts of interest.

Published

2 weeks ago

on

23 September 2024

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On Sunday (22 Sep), Dr Chee Soon Juan, Secretary General of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), issued a public statement on Facebook, expressing concerns regarding the sale of Minister for Home Affairs and Law, Mr K Shanmugam’s Good Class Bungalow (GCB) at Astrid Hill.

Dr Chee questioned the transparency of the S$88 million transaction and the absence of mainstream media coverage despite widespread discussion online.

According to multiple reports cited by Dr Chee, Mr Shanmugam’s property was transferred in August 2023 to UBS Trustees (Singapore) Pte Ltd, which holds the property in trust under the Jasmine Villa Settlement.

Dr Chee’s statement focused on two primary concerns: the lack of response from Mr Shanmugam regarding the transaction and the silence of major media outlets, including Singapore Press Holdings and Mediacorp.

He argued that, given the ongoing public discourse and the relevance of property prices in Singapore, the sale of a high-value asset by a public official warranted further scrutiny.

In his Facebook post, Dr Chee posed several questions directed at Mr Shanmugam and the government:

  1. Who purchased the property, and is the buyer a Singaporean citizen?
  2. Who owns Jasmine Villa Settlement?
  3. Were former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and current Prime Minister Lawrence Wong informed of the transaction, and what were their responses?
  4. How was it ensured that the funds were not linked to money laundering?
  5. How was the property’s valuation determined, and by whom?

The Astrid Hill property, originally purchased by Mr Shanmugam in 2003 for S$7.95 million, saw a significant increase in value, aligning with the high-end status of District 10, where it is located. The 3,170.7 square-meter property was sold for S$88 million in August 2023.

Dr Chee highlighted that, despite Mr Shanmugam’s detailed responses regarding the Ridout Road property, no such transparency had been offered in relation to the Astrid Hill sale.

He argued that the lack of mainstream media coverage was particularly concerning, as public interest in the sale is high. Dr Chee emphasized that property prices and housing affordability are critical issues in Singapore, and transparency from public officials is essential to maintain trust.

Dr Chee emphasized that the Ministerial Code of Conduct unambiguously states: “A Minister must scrupulously avoid any actual or apparent conflict of interest between his office and his private financial interests.”

He concluded his statement by reiterating the need for Mr Shanmugam to address the questions raised, as the matter involves not only the Minister himself but also the integrity of the government and its responsibility to the public.

The supposed sale of Mr Shamugam’s Astrid Hill property took place just a month after Mr Shanmugam spoke in Parliament over his rental of a state-owned bungalow at Ridout Road via a ministerial statement addressing potential conflicts of interest.

At that time, Mr Shanmugam explained that his decision to sell his home was due to concerns about over-investment in a single asset, noting that his financial planning prompted him to sell the property and move into rental accommodation.

The Ridout Road saga last year centred on concerns about Mr Shanmugam’s rental of a sprawling black-and-white colonial bungalow, occupying a massive plot of land, managed by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), which he oversees in his capacity as Minister for Law. Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, also rented a similarly expansive property nearby.

Mr Shanmugam is said to have recused himself from the decision-making process, and a subsequent investigation by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) found no wrongdoing while Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean confirmed in Parliament that Mr Shanmugam had removed himself from any decisions involving the property.

As of now, Mr Shanmugam has not commented publicly on the sale of his Astrid Hill property.

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