Singapore reports 157 new COVID-19 cases; 5 children among 20 community infections

SINGAPORE: Singapore reported 157 new COVID-19 infections as of noon on Tuesday (Jul 7), including five children aged between two and 15 among 20 community cases. 

Four of the children are students - one each from Bedok View Secondary School, East Spring Primary School, Jurong West Primary School and Jurong West Secondary School. 

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All students are linked to household infections, said the Ministry of Education (MOE) in a media release. MOE also said a teacher from Assumption Pathway School was among Tuesday's cases.  

The four students were also already on home quarantine order due to the Ministry of Health (MOH)'s "ringfencing measures" before they were later swabbed as close contacts of their household members. 

The 2-year-old is a Singaporean boy who is linked to a previous case. 

Tuesday's new infections bring the total number of cases in Singapore to 45,140.

There are 10 Singaporeans, two permanent residents, three work pass holders and five work permit holders among the new community cases.

"Of the 20 cases in the community, six were picked up as a result of our proactive surveillance and screening, and 11 had already been placed on quarantine earlier," said MOH. 

Eleven of the cases are asymptomatic, and were all detected through proactive testing.

UPDATED MAP: COVID-19 cases visited these places while they were infectious 

12 COMMUNITY CASES LINKED TO PREVIOUS CASES, 8 UNLINKED 

Twelve of the community cases are linked to previous cases or clusters, said the ministry. 

"Of these, 11 had been identified as contacts of previously confirmed cases, and had been tested during their quarantine to determine their status," said MOH. 

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The remaining case, who was asymptomatic, was swabbed during proactive screening of workers in essential services. 

Eight of the community cases are currently unlinked. 

"Of these, five cases were tested as they work in essential services, even though they are all asymptomatic," said the ministry. 

The remaining three unlinked cases were swabbed under MOH's enhanced community testing to test all individuals aged 13 and above who are diagnosed with acute respiratory infection at first presentation to a doctor.

Overall, the number of new cases in the community has increased, from an average of eight cases per day in the week before, to an average of 14 per day in the past week. 

The number of unlinked cases in the community has also increased, from an average of four cases per day in the week before, to an average of six per day in the past week.

MOH also added that there were three imported cases who were placed on stay-home notices upon arrival in Singapore. 

Two of the imported cases are Indian nationals who are dependant’s pass holders, and returned to Singapore from India on Jun 23. The other case is a Filipino, a work pass holder, who returned from the Philippines on Jun 19. 

All of them were placed on 14-day stay-home notices upon arrival in Singapore, and were tested while serving their notice. 

The vast majority of Tuesday's cases were 134 work permit holders residing in foreign worker dormitories, MOH said.

NINE NEW LOCATIONS ADDED TO PLACES VISITED BY COVID-19 CASES

Nine more locations were added to a list of public places visited by COVID-19 cases during their infectious period. 

The new locations include Cheng Hoo Thian Restaurant OSL at Whampoa West, as well as Tampines Mall, Great World City, Mustafa Centre, Jurong Point and JEM. 

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Jurong Lake Gardens Gym ActiveSG was also added to the list. 

The other two places were the FairPrice Hub in Joo Koon and Ban Kah Hiang Trading in Jalan Bukit Merah.

Those who had been identified as close contacts of confirmed cases would have been notified by MOH.

As a precautionary measure, those who had been at those locations during the specified timings should monitor their health closely for 14 days from their date of visit, the health ministry added. 

"They should see a doctor promptly if they develop symptoms of acute respiratory infection (such as cough, sore throat and runny nose), as well as fever and loss of taste or smell, and inform the doctor of their exposure history.

"There is no need to avoid places where confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been," said MOH. 

The National Environment Agency will also engage the management of affected premises to provide guidance on cleaning and disinfection.

285 MORE CASES DISCHARGED

A total of 285 more cases of COVID-19 infection have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities, added MOH.  

In all, 41,002 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities.

There are currently 219 confirmed cases who are still in hospital, and of these, most are stable or improving, and one is in a critical condition in the intensive care unit. 

A total of 3,893 are isolated and cared for at community facilities, said MOH. These are people who have mild symptoms, or are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19.

Twenty-six people have died from complications due to COVID-19.

On Monday, MOH added 26 more locations to the list of places visited by COVID-19 cases during their infectious period. 

The new locations include shopping malls such as Jewel Changi Airport, ION Orchard, Sim Lim Square, Tang Plaza, Compass One, Lucky Plaza and Plaza Singapura.

Food and beverage outlets such as One Man Coffee at Upper Thomson Road, the Daily Scoop at Sembawang Road and East Coast Lagoon Food Village were also among the new locations. 

There were also several supermarkets, including Sheng Siong outlets in Yuan Ching Road and Jurong West Avenue 5, as well as an NTUC FairPrice store in Eunos Crescent.

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