24 new community COVID-19 infections in Singapore; cases detected among visitors to shops at 455 Sengkang West Avenue

SINGAPORE: Singapore reported 24 new COVID-19 infections in the community as of noon on Wednesday (Jun 2), including five with no links to previous cases.

Nineteen were linked to previous cases, with 17 already on quarantine and two detected through surveillance, said the Ministry of Health (MOH).

There were also seven imported cases, who had been placed on stay-home notice upon arrival in Singapore. 

No new infections were reported in migrant workers' dormitories.

In all, Singapore reported 31 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday.

TESTING FOR VISITORS TO 455 SENGKANG WEST AVENUE

MOH said it is investigating cases of COVID-19 infection among visitors to shops at 455 Sengkang West Avenue. 

To "pre-emptively mitigate" any potential risk of wider, undetected community transmission, MOH said it will offer free COVID-19 testing for members of the public who visited these shops from May 12 to May 30.

These visitors were also advised to monitor their health closely for 14 days from their date of visit, and to visit a regional screening centre or Swab and Send Home (SASH) Public Health Preparedness Clinic for a free COVID-19 test.

READ: 27 people test positive for COVID-19 at MINDSville @ Napiri Adult Disability Home in Hougang

READ: FairPrice outlet at Yishun MRT, Yuhua Village Market among places visited by COVID-19 cases

MINDSVILLE@NAPIRI CLUSTER

A total of 27 people at MINDSville@Napiri Adult Disability Home have tested positive for COVID-19, the Ministry of Social and Family Development said on Wednesday.

This comes after one of the residents, a 37-year-old Singaporean woman, was confirmed to have the infection on Monday. Identified as Case 63924, she was initially identified as an unlinked case in MOH's update on Tuesday.

MOH included four of the new MINDSville cases in the cluster in its daily case count on Wednesday. It said that it would include the remaining 22 cases in Thursday’s case count following verification of the test results.

The facility has 112 residents.

READ: Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine to be allowed in Singapore under special access route after WHO approval

CASES FROM HOUGANG, YISHUN AMONG UNLINKED INFECTIONS

Two unlinked cases reported on Wednesday were detected during the testing of residents at HDB blocks in Hougang and Yishun.

They include a 43-year-old Singaporean who works in an administrative role at Changi Prison Complex, and was last at her workplace on Mar 2.

The woman, who is fully vaccinated, developed a cough on May 29 but did not seek medical attention. She took a COVID-19 test on Jun 1 as part of the Health Ministry’s special testing operations for residents of Hougang Avenue 8.

She developed a sore throat, blocked nose and loss of taste the next day, and her test came back positive for COVID-19 infection the same day.

The second case is an 80-year-old Singaporean who is a retiree. The woman, who is also fully vaccinated, was tested for COVID-19 on Jun 1 as part of special testing operations for residents of Yishun Street 72.

She was asymptomatic but her test came back positive for COVID-19 infection on the same day. Her serology test result is negative for the N antigen, which suggests early infection, MOH said.

The ministry also said in a separate update that it has concluded testing operations for residents and visitors at Block 745 Yishun Street 72, with three people testing positive as of 10pm on Wednesday. Details on the positive cases will be reported in upcoming press releases, it said.

Testing at Blocks 501 and 507 at Hougang Avenue 8 is ongoing, with 681 people tested and one confirmed case as of 10pm on Wednesday, it said.

READ: Mandatory tests for residents at Yishun HDB block completed; 3 COVID-19 cases found

READ: Some Singapore private healthcare providers consider offering Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine after WHO approval

The other unlinked cases include a 22-year-old Myanmar national who works as a healthcare assistant at Grace Lodge nursing home and a 36-year-old Vietnam national who is a homemaker.

The remaining unlinked case is a 61-year-old Singaporean who works at Singapore Pools at NTUC FairPrice along Clementi Avenue 3. The woman was last at work on May 26 and received her first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine on May 30.

The woman developed body aches on the same day she took her vaccine, and subsequently a fever and sore throat on Jun 1. She sought medical treatment at a clinic on the same day, where she underwent an antigen rapid test (ART). She was immediately isolated when her ART result came back positive, and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test was administered.

Her PCR test also came back positive for COVID-19 infection on Jun 1.

READ: More than 26,000 students sign up for COVID-19 vaccinations on first day of registration

CHANGI PRISON COMPLEX CLUSTER

One more case has been linked to the Changi Prison Complex cluster, bringing the number of infections in the cluster to 15.

The 46-year-old Singaporean inmate had already been quarantined after being identified as a close contact of a previously confirmed case, a 39-year-old Chinese national who is employed by SATS Food Services as a cook at Changi Prison Complex.

MOH said the inmate was tested regularly for COVID-19 during quarantine – the last test being on May 29 – and all his test results were negative. 

He is asymptomatic and was detected when he was tested again on May 31. He has tested preliminarily positive for the B1617 variant, and is pending further confirmatory tests.

HONG YE GROUP CLEANERS CLUSTER

Two students and a homemaker have been added to the Hong Ye Group cleaners cluster, which now has 25 confirmed cases.

Two of the cases were asymptomatic and detected from testing during quarantine: A 52-year-old Singaporean homemaker and a four-year-old Singaporean boy who attends The Spark Playhouse at 406 Hougang Avenue 10. The two are family members of the same previously confirmed case.

The remaining case is a nine-year-old Singaporean who is a student at Fu Hua Primary School. The boy was last in school on May 18. 

He developed a fever on May 31 and went to a clinic the next day, where he underwent an ART and PCR test. He was immediately isolated when his ART result came back positive on Jun 1.

He was also quarantined on Jun 1 as he had been identified as a family member of another previously confirmed case. His PCR test came back positive for COVID-19 on Jun 2.

READ: 'Prudent' to extend COVID-19 protection to children now, experts say

MASSEUSE LINKED TO CHEVY’S BAR AND BISTRO CLUSTER

A 30-year-old Malaysian who works as a massage therapist at Zenith Healing @ La Maison De Ja has been linked to this cluster. She is a close contact of a previously confirmed case, a 21-year-old Malaysian who works as a kitchen staff member at Indo Bowl at 39 Sultan Gate.

She developed a sore throat and cough during quarantine on May 28, but her COVID-19 test the same day came back negative.

The woman subsequently developed a fever on Jun 1, and tested positive this time.

The Chevy’s Bar and Bistro cluster has now grown to seven cases.

NTUC FOODFARE ANCHORVALE

A 20-year-old Vietnam national has been linked to the cluster at NTUC Foodfare at 308 Anchorvale Road. The woman, who works as a kitchen assistant at the coffee shop, developed a fever on May 29 but did not seek medical attention.

She was quarantined on May 30 after she was identified as a close contact of a previously confirmed case, a 23-year-old Malaysian who works as a cook at West Grill Station (Anchorvale). 

The woman was tested for COVID-19 on Jun 1, with the result coming back positive.

This cluster now has a total of 10 infections. 

READ: Will taking a painkiller before the jab help? Your COVID-19 vaccine questions answered

NEW CLUSTER

Two Singaporeans, aged three and 71, have been linked to a previously confirmed case, forming a new cluster. Both of them had already been quarantined and are close contacts of Case 63941, the 36-year-old Vietnam national who was listed as an unlinked case on Wednesday.

The three-year-old boy is a student at PCF Sparkletots Preschool (Kreta Ayer – Kim Seng), and was last in school on May 14. He experienced symptoms such as runny nose, cough, body aches and headache prior to testing positive for COVID-19. 

The 71-year-old woman works as a stall assistant at 328 Katong Laksa Tiong Bahru Plaza and was last at work on May 27. She developed a cough, body aches and headaches on May 28 but did not seek medical attention. She tested positive for COVID-19 on Jun 1 during quarantine. 

GLENEAGLES HOSPITAL TECHNICIAN AMONG NEW CASES

More cases have been traced to two existing clusters. 

The first cluster is linked to a previously confirmed COVID-19 case, a 49-year-old permanent resident who works as a manager at Success Consultancy. 

The four new cases linked to him include a 61-year-old Singaporean who works as a technician at Gleneagles Hospital, a 36-year-old permanent resident who works as a senior executive at ICFC and a 61-year-old Singaporean who works as a canteen vendor at Greenwood Primary School.

The remaining case is a 39-year-old Singaporean who works at Versaform. 

The second cluster is linked to a 65-year-old Singaporean homemaker who was confirmed to have COVID-19 on May 30. 

Two more cases have been linked to the woman: A 93-year-old Singaporean retiree and a 28-year-old Singaporean who works at the Typo shop at Westgate.

The 28-year-old was tested for COVID-19 on May 28 as part of testing operations for those who worked in or visited JEM or Westgate.

READ: FairPrice outlet at Clementi Ave 3 closed after employee tests positive for COVID-19

ATATCUTZ BARBER IS CLOSE CONTACT OF PIZZA HUT DELIVERY RIDER

The remaining linked case announced on Wednesday is a 24-year-old Malaysian who works as a barber at Atatcutz Singapore at 348 Bedok Road. The man is a close contact of a previously confirmed COVID-19 case, a 26-year-old Malaysian man who works as a delivery rider for Pizza Hut at Hougang Green.

MOH said he developed a fever, cough and runny nose on May 29 but did not seek medical attention. He was quarantined on Jun 1 and reported his symptoms. 

He was tested for COVID-19 on the same day and his test came back positive on Jun 2.

DECREASE IN COMMUNITY CASES

MOH said the overall number of new cases in the community has decreased from 165 cases in the week before to 126 cases in the past week.

The number of unlinked cases in the community has also fallen from 30 cases in the week before to 27 cases in the past week.

Among the 184 confirmed cases reported from May 27 to Jun 2, a total of 55 cases have tested positive for their serology tests while 108 have tested negative. A further 21 serology test results are pending.

The Health Ministry added several new locations to its list of places visited by COVID-19 cases in the community during their infectious period.

The places include shopping malls Causeway Point and Tiong Bahru Plaza, as well as Masjid Jamek Queenstown and Marina Bay Sands Casino.