3 new community COVID-19 cases in Singapore, including two linked to Changi Airport cluster
People wearing protective face masks at Changi Airport Terminal 3. (Photo: Calvin Oh)
SINGAPORE: Three community cases were among 19 new COVID-19 infections reported in Singapore as of noon on Monday (May 10), said the Ministry of Health (MOH).
Two of the three community cases work in Changi Airport Terminal 3 and are linked to the cluster involving Case 62873, an 88-year-old airport cleaner employed by Ramky Cleantech Services.
The other community case is currently unlinked. She is a 59-year-old Singaporean who works as a chef at MOS Burger at Suntec City.
Her work does not involve interaction with diners, MOH said.
The ministry added that she was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital on May 9 for an unrelated condition and was tested for COVID-19 even though she was asymptomatic.
Her test result came back positive on the same day. Her serological test result is pending.
CHANGI AIRPORT CLUSTER
The two new COVID-19 cases who work at Changi Airport were both fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
The first is a 44-year-old Singaporean man who is an operations employee at Raffles Medical at Terminal 3. He was swabbed as part of MOH’s special COVID-19 testing operations for all workers in Terminals 1, Terminal 3 and Jewel.
The other case is a 59-year-old Singaporean man who is employed by Certis Cisco as an aviation security officer at Changi Airport Terminal 3. His job involves security screening at the departure hall.
He was tested for COVID-19 after developing symptoms.
There are now 10 cases linked to the cluster at Changi Airport.
READ: Changi Airport COVID-19 cluster grows after Certis Cisco officer, Raffles Medical employee test positive
IMPORTED CASES
The remaining 16 cases were imported, including five Singaporeans who returned from Hong Kong and India.
Two are dependant's pass holders who travelled from Nepal and the UAE.
Another three are work permit holders who arrived from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, of whom two are foreign domestic workers.
Four are short-term visit pass holders, including one who was already receiving medical care in Singapore and had arrived from Papua New Guinea for further treatment.
The other three short-term pass holders travelled from Indonesia - two to visit their family members who are Singaporeans and one arrived for a work project.
The final two cases are special pass holders who are sea crew. They arrived from Japan and were tested onboard without disembarking.
All the imported cases were placed on stay-home notice or isolated upon their arrival in Singapore, said MOH.
It added that the arrivals from the Indian sub-continent were already in Singapore before the restrictions on travel were imposed.
RECOVERIES
Twenty more people have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities, taking the total recoveries to 60,953.
There are 135 cases who are still in hospital. Most are stable or improving, and three are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
A total of 259 are isolated and cared for at community facilities. They have mild symptoms or are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19.
READ: 4 new COVID-19 cases, including Grab driver, test 'preliminarily positive' for B1617 variant from India
COVID-19 MEASURES STEPPED UP AT AIRPORT, SEAPORT
It was announced on Sunday that all workers at Changi Airport’s operating terminals and Singapore's seaport will be tested for COVID-19 after the emergence of clusters linked to the facilities.
About 9,000 workers from Terminal 1, Terminal 3 and Jewel Changi Airport will be tested. Terminal 2 is not operating.
Nearly 4,000 port workers will be tested as well. As of 3pm on Sunday, 2,750 port workers have tested negative. The remaining workers were scheduled to have been tested by Sunday night.
As of Monday, Singapore has reported a total of 61,378 COVID-19 cases and 31 fatalities.
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