81 new Covid-19 infections in Singapore, including 3 in the community and 16 imported cases
SINGAPORE — Singapore has confirmed 81 new cases of Covid-19, including 16 that are imported and three in the community. The remaining 62 are migrant workers in dormitories.
In a press release on Saturday (Aug 15), the Ministry of Health (MOH) said that the 16 imported cases include 10 seamen who arrived in Singapore from India on Aug 8 on a vessel, and did not disembark.
The seamen, all special pass holders, had been identified as close contacts of previous cases, and were swabbed while on the vessel even though five of them were asymptomatic, the ministry said.
They had remained on the vessel until their test results came back positive for Covid-19, and were subsequently taken to a hospital in ambulances.
The other six imported cases include two work pass holders from Bangladesh and the Philippines, and a work permit holder from the Philippines. All three are currently employed in Singapore. They arrived from Bangladesh on Aug 1 and the Philippines on Aug 2.
The remaining three are dependant’s pass holders — two boys aged one and three who arrived from India on July 31, and a one-year-old boy who arrived from South Africa on July 29.
The imported cases had all been placed on a 14-day stay-home notice and tested positive while serving their notices at dedicated facilities.
CASES IN THE COMMUNITY
The three cases in the community include two Singaporeans and one work pass holder, all of whom are linked to previous cases.
One of the cases is a technician who had boarded the vessel which has been linked to multiple imported cases here.
He went on board the vessel between Aug 8 and 12 to carry out essential repair and maintenance work, MOH said.
“He was subsequently placed on quarantine when some crew members were confirmed to have Covid-19, and swabbed even though he is asymptomatic,” the ministry added.
MOH is also contacting all visitors to a karaoke outlet at the HomeTeamNS Khatib clubhouse, after three confirmed Covid-19 cases were found to have been there in early August.
The three infected persons had visited the yet to be opened Jewel Music Box KTV outlet on Aug 1 and 2. Two of them were there for long periods for work purposes, said MOH.
Overall, the number of new cases in the community has remained stable at an average of two cases a day in the past two weeks.
The number of unlinked cases in the community has also remained stable at an average of one case a day in the past 14 days.
There are currently about 20,700 workers in dormitories who are still serving out their quarantine period, MOH said.
“These workers will be tested when their quarantine ends, and we expect the case counts to remain high in the coming days, before tapering down thereafter,” it added.
The ministry added that four more dormitories have been cleared of the disease and now house only recovered individuals and those who have recently tested negative for the coronavirus. They are no longer classified as a cluster.
The dormitories are:
36 & 38 Kian Teck Drive
17 Shaw Road
52 Tech Park Crescent
8 Tuas South Lane
UPDATES ON THE REMAINING CASES
The total number of infections in Singapore now stands at 55,661.
Of these, 51,521 people have fully recovered and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities, including 472 on Saturday.
There are still 83 patients in hospitals and most are in stable condition or improving. No one is in critical condition under intensive care.
Another 4,030 patients are isolated and being cared for at community facilities. They have mild symptoms or are clinically well but still tested positive for Covid-19.
Twenty-seven people have died from complications due to Covid-19.
