Singapore exported at least 40 COVID-19 cases to China since National Day

News of imported COVID-19 cases in China coming from Singapore have been reported by the media in China lately:

• 上海昨新增14例境外输入病例，9例来自阿联酋，4例来自新加坡 (Shanghai added 14 imported cases from abroad yesterday, 9 from the UAE and 4 from Singapore)
• 重庆市报告新增无症状感染者2例 均为新加坡输入 (Chongqing reports 2 new cases of asymptomatic infections, all imported from Singapore)
• 8月13日厦门新增境外输入无症状感染者2例 来自菲律宾和新加坡 (2 new cases of asymptomatic infections in Xiamen on August 13 imported from the Philippines and Singapore)

Going through some of the provincial health commission websites of China, it is found that since Singapore’s National day last week (9 Aug), the number of exported COVID-19 cases from Singapore to China has been increasing.

Most seem to be Chinese workers working in Singapore returning back to China, as reported in the Chinese news.

Excerpt of some of the data from the provincial health commission websites (since 9 Aug) concerning the number of import cases from Singapore:

Shanghai Municipal Health Commission

• 11th: 4 cases
• 16th: 3 cases
• 17th: 4 cases
  (11 cases in total)

Chongqing Municipal Health Commission

• 9th: 1 case
• 16th: 1 case
• 17th: 2 cases
  (4 cases in total)

Health Commission of Zhejiang Province

• 15th: 3 cases
• 16th: 1 case
  (4 cases in total)

Health Commission of Sichuan Province

• 9th: 2 cases
• 12th: 2 cases
• 13th: 1 case
• 14th: 1 case
  (4 cases in total)

Health Commission of Guangdong Province

• 13th 1 case
• 14th 1 case
  (2 cases in total)

Health Commission of Jiangsu Province

• 14th: 1 case
  (1 case only)

Health Commission of Shaanxi Province

• 9th: 2 cases
• 10th: 1 case
• 13th: 2 cases
• 15th: 2 cases
• 16th: 6 cases
• 17th: 4 cases
  (17 cases in total)

Most of the above cases appear to be entering China through China Eastern Airline MU 2070 fights, which fly from Singapore to the city of Xi’an in Shaanxi Province.

There is still data from other provinces not reported here.

According to Singapore’s health ministry (MOH) just 1 day before National Day (8 Aug), all migrant workers living in dormitories have been tested for COVID-19, except for those in “a few” standalone blocks that serve as quarantine facilities (‘COVID-19 testing completed for all migrant workers in dormitories, except ‘a few’ quarantine blocks: MOH‘, 8 Aug).

It’s not known if those people reported to be infected with the COVID-19 virus by the Chinese provincial authorities were staying in the Singapore dormitories previously, who were supposed to be cleared of the virus.

It’s unclear if MOH would be contacting the Chinese authorities to also start contact tracing in Singapore, since those reported cases in China came from Singapore.