As of Thursday noon (21 Jan), the Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed an additional 38 cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore.
This brings the total number of infection cases to 59,235.
Amongst the new cases today, 36 are asymptomatic and were detected from screening and surveillance, while 2 were symptomatic.
There are four new cases of locally transmitted COVID-19 infection.
“Based on our investigations so far, the cases are in the community, and there are no new cases in the dormitories,” said MOH.
Case 59512 is a 43 year-old female Singaporean who is the spouse of Case 59429, a 39 year-old male Singapore Permanent Resident who works as a sales personnel at BS Industrial & Construction Supply Pte Ltd. She works from home as an online trader and does not physically interact with her clients.
She was placed on quarantine on 18 January when Case 59429 was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection. On 20 January, she was tested for COVID-19 even though she is asymptomatic. Her test came back positive on the same day, and she was conveyed to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID). Her serology test result has come back negative, indicating that this is likely a current infection.
Case 59513 is a 46 year-old female Malaysian national who is a Work Pass holder. She works as a sales personnel at Toppan Merrill Pte Ltd (3 Church Street) but does not interact with clients. She is a household contact of Case 59474, a 28 year-old female Malaysian national who works as a finance personnel at BS Industrial & Construction Supply Pte Ltd.
She developed a blocked nose on 19 January and stayed at home for most of the day. As she had been identified as a close contact of Case 59474, she was contacted by MOH on 20 January and placed on quarantine. She reported her symptoms and was conveyed to Sengkang General Hospital where she was tested for COVID-19. Her test came back positive on the same day. Her serology test result has come back negative, indicating that this is likely a current infection.
Case 59516 is a 35 year-old male Singapore Permanent Resident who works as a sales personnel at BS Industrial & Construction Supply Pte Ltd (34 Kallang Place). He is a co-worker of Case 59429.
He developed a sore throat on 18 January but did not seek medical treatment. As he had been identified as a close contact of Case 59429, he was contacted by MOH on the same day but failed to report his symptom. On 20 January, he was tested for COVID-19 while under quarantine. His result came back positive on the same day, and he was subsequently conveyed to the National University Hospital. His serology test result is pending.
Case 59518 is a 42 year-old male Singaporean who works as a dive personnel at Ocean Works Asia Pte Ltd (Block 6, 13 Jalan Terusan).
He had travelled to Indonesia for work between 4 November and 13 December 2020, and served SHN at a dedicated facility upon his return to Singapore until 27 December. His swab done on 24 December during SHN was negative for COVID- 19.
He is asymptomatic, and was detected when he took a COVID-19 test on 20 January as part of the requirement for shore-based personnel going onboard a vessel to be tested. His result came back positive for COVID-19 infection on the same day and he was conveyed to NCID. His serological test result has come back positive, which indicates a likely past infection.
Given the relatively long time interval between his travel and positive COVID-19 test, the authority have classified this case as locally transmitted.
In addition, there are 34 new imported cases. Amongst the 34 imported cases, 1 (Case 59517) is a Singapore Permanent Resident who returned from the US.
1 (Case 59501) is a Dependant’s Pass holder who arrived from the UAE.
1 (Case 59497) is a Long-Term Visit Pass holder who arrived from the US.
2 (Cases 59486 and 59487) are Work Pass holders who arrived from India and the UAE.
26 are Work Permit holders who arrived from Bangladesh, India and Indonesia, of whom 1 (Case 59503) is a foreign domestic worker.
1 (Case 59514) is a Short-Term Visit Pass holder who arrived from India to visit her child who is a Singapore Permanent Resident.
2 (Cases 59479 and 59515) are Special Pass holders who are sea crew. Case 59479 arrived from Indonesia to board a vessel docked in Singapore, and Case 59515 arrived onboard a vessel from Indonesia and had not disembarked. He was tested for COVID-19, and conveyed to the hospital when his result came back positive.
Of the 34 cases, 33 had already been placed on SHN or isolated upon arrival in Singapore and were tested while serving SHN or while under isolation.
Case 59517 is a Singapore Permanent Resident who arrived from the US on 17 January for work purposes, and was tested for COVID-19 upon arrival. His test came back negative on the same day, and he was on a controlled itinerary for the next few days. On 20 January, he took a COVID-19 pre-departure test in preparation for a trip to the UK. His result came back positive for COVID-19 infection on the same day and he was conveyed to the hospital.
Case 59511 is a Work Permit holder who arrived from India on 27 December 2020 and served SHN at a dedicated facility until 10 January 2021. His swab done on 7 January during SHN was negative for COVID-19, and subsequent tests on 11 January and 13 January were also negative. His test on 19 January came back positive for COVID-19 infection, although the Ct value was very high, which is indicative of a low viral load. His serological test result has also come back positive. Given that these indicate likely past infection, the authority have classified the case as imported. He is likely to be shedding minute fragments of the virus RNA, which are no longer transmissible and infective to others.
“The remaining case tested negative for COVID-19 upon arrival in Singapore on 17 January, and was on a controlled itinerary during his stay here. He subsequently tested positive for COVID-19 infection on 20 January,” said MOH.
Update on condition of confirmed cases
33 more cases of COVID-19 infection have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities. In all, 58,959 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities.
There are currently 43 confirmed cases who are still in hospital. Of these, most are stable or improving, and 1 is in critical condition in the intensive care unit. 204 are isolated and cared for at community facilities. These are those who have mild symptoms, or are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19.
29 have passed away from complications due to COVID-19 infection.
