131 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases in Singapore; 10 new clusters

SINGAPORE: Singapore reported 131 new locally transmitted COVID-19 infections as of noon on Friday (Jul 30), including 52 infections with no links to previous cases.

Sixty-four infections were linked to previous cases and had been placed on quarantine. Another 15 linked infections were detected through surveillance testing.

Twenty-eight cases were linked to the Jurong Fishery Port/Hong Lim Market & Food Centre cluster and one to the cluster in KTV lounges, said the Ministry of Health (MOH).

The Jurong Fishery Port cluster has grown to 999 cases and remains the largest active cluster in the country.

Among the new cases, one person is above the age of 70 who is partially vaccinated, and at risk of serious illness, said MOH.

There were also eight imported cases, who were placed on stay-home notice or isolated upon arrival. Two infections were detected upon arrival while six developed the illness during the stay-home notice or isolation period.

In total, Singapore reported 139 new COVID-19 cases on Friday.

7 CASES IN CRITICAL CONDITION

MOH said 571 cases are currently warded in hospital, with most well and under observation. 

There are currently 26 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation, and seven in critical condition in the intensive care unit (ICU). Two among these 33 cases are fully vaccinated. 

Of these, one requires oxygen supplementation while one requires ICU care as they have underlying medical conditions. 

Twenty-three seniors above 60 years, of whom 22 are completely unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, have fallen very ill, added MOH. 

READ: 129 students, 17 school staff members tested positive for COVID-19 over last three months: Chan Chun Sing

10 NEW CLUSTERS

Ten new COVID-19 clusters have been identified. Among them the Zuellig Pharma cluster which has a total of six cases. 

The other nine clusters have about three to six infectious each. MOH did not provide further information on these clusters. 

Eight more cases were added to the Samy's Curry Restaurant cluster, taking the total number of infections to 49. 

Two more cases were also linked to the Marina Bay Sands Casino cluster, which now has 54 cases. 

MOH also said that the 105 Henderson Crescent cluster has been closed as no more cases have been linked to it for the past two incubation periods. 

There are currently a total of 63 active clusters in Singapore, ranging between three and 999 infections. 

MOH said the overall number of new cases in the community has decreased from 961 cases in the week before to 878 cases in the past week. 

"We are likely to continue to see high number of cases in the coming days as we step up efforts to detect them to contain their spread in the community," said MOH.

The number of unlinked cases in the community has increased from 83 cases in the week before to 257 cases in the past week. 

VACCINATION HELPS PREVENT SERIOUS DISEASE: MOH

A total of 7,429,918 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered under the national vaccination programme as of Jul 29. This covers 4,290,278 individuals, said MOH.

MOH added that 3,261,603 individuals have completed the full vaccination regimen. This consists of 121,963 recovered people who received at least one dose and 3,139,640 who received their second dose.

In addition, 99,919 doses of Sinovac vaccines have been administered as of Jul 29, covering 73,053 individuals.

"There is continuing evidence that vaccination helps to prevent serious disease when one gets infected," said MOH.

Over the last 28 days, 43 local cases required oxygen supplementation, were admitted to ICU or passed away. Twenty five are unvaccinated, 16 are partially vaccinated and two are fully vaccinated, added the Health Ministry. 

Education Minister Chan Chun Sing revealed on Friday that 129 students - representing 0.03 per cent of Singapore's total student population - and 17 school employees tested positive for COVID-19 over the last three months. 

Acknowledging calls from some parents to move back to full home-based learning, Mr Chan gave the assurance that schools remain safe places for learning.

"We have implemented stringent safe management measures to minimise transmission risks," he said in a Facebook post, adding that surveillance measures are in place to detect potential COVID-19 cases as soon as possible.

READ: Four COVID-19 cases reported at 4 Catholic churches in Singapore

Singapore is in the second week of Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) measures, which took effect on Jul 22 to combat a rise in local COVID-19 cases.

Under the tighter restrictions set to last until Aug 18, dining-in at F&B outlets has been suspended and the group size for social gatherings is limited to two people.

MOH has said that the Government will review the tightened measures two weeks after their introduction, and adjust them based on the situation at the time.

As of Friday, Singapore has reported a total of 64,861 COVID-19 cases.

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