23 new Covid-19 infections in Singapore, 82-year-old retiree among 2 cases in the community
SINGAPORE — An 82-year-old retiree as well as a homemaker made up the two Covid-19 community cases registered on Wednesday (March 3).
In its update on the coronavirus situation here, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said that the 82-year-old Singaporean man had developed runny nose, body aches and chills on Feb 14. He then sought treatment at a general practitioner on Feb 22.
The man was tested for the coronavirus but his test came back negative then, MOH said.
On March 1, the man again sought medical treatment as he was still feeling unwell and was swabbed.
His test came back positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday and he was taken to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID).
“His serological test result has come back negative, indicating that this is likely a current infection,” MOH said.
The ministry added that while the man had registered for his Covid-19 vaccination on Feb 22, he did not proceed with vaccination on his appointment date as he had been advised earlier by his doctor to postpone vaccination if he was feeling unwell.
The other case in the community is a 38-year-old permanent resident who is a homemaker.
The woman did not have any symptoms and was detected when she took a Covid-19 pre-departure test on Tuesday in preparation for a trip to India.
Her result came back positive on Wednesday and she was subsequently taken to the NCID.
“Her serological test result is pending,” MOH said.
Overall, the number of new cases in the community has gone up from two in the week before to four in the past week, said MOH.
The number of cases with no known links in the community has also increased from none in the week before to four in the past week.
IMPORTED CASES
There were 21 imported cases of Covid-19 registered on Wednesday and all had been placed on stay-home notices upon their arrival here.
One is a permanent resident who arrived from Indonesia. The remaining 20 are work pass holders who came from India, Nepal and Nigeria.
UPDATE ON REMAINING CASES
The total number of infections in Singapore is now 59,979.
Of these, 59,849 people have fully recovered and been discharged, including seven on Wednesday.
There are still 18 patients in hospitals.
“Of these, most are stable or improving, and one is in critical condition in the intensive care unit,” said MOH.
Another 83 patients are isolated at community facilities. They have mild symptoms or are clinically well but still tested positive for Covid-19.
Twenty-nine people have died from complications due to the disease.
