3 more COVID-19 community cases linked to BS Industrial & Construction Supply; cluster now at 7 infections
BS Industrial & Construction Supply at Kallang Place is linked to a cluster of COVID-19 cases. (Photo: Try Sutrisno Foo)
SINGAPORE: Three more COVID-19 cases on Thursday (Jan 21) were linked to the cluster at BS Industrial & Construction Supply, bringing the total number of cases to seven.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 38 new cases on Thursday, including four in the community, of which three are linked to the cluster.
Case 59512 is a 43-year-old Singaporean. She is the spouse of Case 59429, a 39-year-old permanent resident who works as a sales personnel for BS Industrial & Construction Supply at Kallang Place.
She works from home as an online trader and does not physically interact with her clients.
READ: New COVID-19 cluster formed after 3 cases linked to sales employee at BS Industrial & Construction Supply
She was placed on quarantine on Jan 18, when her spouse was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection. She was then tested on Jan 20 despite being asymptomatic.
The test result came back positive on the same day, and she was taken to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID).
Her serology test result has come back negative, indicating that this is likely a current infection.
Case 59513 is a 46 year-old Malaysian who holds a work pass. She works as a sales personnel at Toppan Merrill at 3 Church Street, but does not interact with clients.
She is a household contact of Case 59474, a 28 year-old female Malaysian national who works as a finance personnel at BS Industrial & Construction.
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She developed a blocked nose on Jan 19, and stayed at home for most of the day.
As she had been identified as a close contact of Case 59474, she was contacted by MOH on Jan 20 and placed on quarantine.
She reported her symptoms and was taken to Sengkang General Hospital where she was tested for COVID-19. Her test came back positive on the same day.
Her serology test result has come back negative.
Case 59516 is a 35 year-old Singapore permanent resident who works as a sales personnel at BS Industrial & Construction Supply. He is a co-worker of Case 59429.
He developed a sore throat on Jan 18 but did not seek medical treatment.
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As he had been identified as a close contact of Case 59429, he was contacted by MOH on the same day but failed to report his symptom.
On Jan 20, he was tested for COVID-19 while under quarantine. His result came back positive on the same day, and he was taken to the National University Hospital.
His serology test result is pending.
On Wednesday, MOH said that investigations are ongoing to assess if there had been a breach of safe management measures at BS Industrial & Construction Supply personnel.
THE CLUSTERS SO FAR
The cluster linked to a 32-year-old para-vet at the police K-9 unit, who was reported as the sole community case on Jan 14, was first established on Sunday.
Six other cases have been linked to the cluster so far, including the para-vet's wife, an administrative officer at the K-9 unit, the administrative officer’s wife and their eight-year-old son.
READ: Para-vet cluster: K-9 unit remains operational; only 1 COVID-19 case out of 95 officers tested, says SPF
Another cluster, involving a 33-year-old food processing worker at Golden Bridge Foods Manufacturing whose infection was reported on Jan 16, was formed on Tuesday.
The cluster includes two others who were reported as community cases on Tuesday; one is his co-worker and housemate, and the other is the 33-year-old's wife.
On Wednesday, MOH identified a cluster linked to a 39-year-old sales personnel at BS Industrial & Construction Supply. He was confirmed to have COVID-19 on Jan 18.
The cluster now has seven cases, five of whom work at the same company.
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