11 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore, all imported

SINGAPORE: Singapore reported 11 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday (Feb 18).

All the cases were imported and had been placed on stay-home notice upon their arrival in Singapore, said the Ministry of Health (MOH).

A Singaporean and a permanent resident who returned from Bangladesh and the United Kingdom were among the 11 imported cases. 

Seven cases were work permit holders who arrived from India, Indonesia and the Philippines. Of these, five are foreign domestic workers. 

The two remaining cases were a work pass holder who arrived from the United Arab Emirates and a student's pass holder who arrived from Italy for studies in Singapore. 

Four of these cases arrived in Singapore before the requirement for mandatory on-arrival serology tests commenced. Six other cases were not required to undergo these tests upon arrival, MOH added. The remaining case tested negative for her on-arrival serology test.

All the cases were tested while serving their stay-home notice, said MOH. 

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No locally transmitted infections were reported in the community or in foreign worker dormitories.

THREE MORE CASES DISCHARGED

MOH said three more COVID-19 cases have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities, taking Singapore's total number of recoveries to 59,679.

There are 20 COVID-19 patients still in hospital, most of whom are stable or improving. One person is in a critical condition in the intensive care unit.

Another 104 cases are isolated and cared for at community facilities. These are people who have mild symptoms or are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19.

ELDERLY MAN SUFFERED CARDIAC ARREST

A 72-year-old Singaporean man who received his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine later suffered a cardiac arrest, but there is no indication that it was due to the vaccination, said MOH in a separate statement on Thursday.

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The man received the jab on Tuesday morning and suffered a cardiac arrest that night. He has been admitted to the intensive care unit at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH).

"Based on TTSH's initial assessment, there is no indication that the cardiac arrest was due to COVID-19 vaccination," said MOH, adding that a medical team is conducting further tests to establish the cause of the cardiac arrest. 

The man has a history of cancer, hypertension and hyperlipidaemia, said the ministry. Trained healthcare personnel had assessed him to be suitable for the vaccination prior to him getting the vaccine.

SINGAPORE RECEIVES FIRST SHIPMENT OF MODERNA VACCINE

Singapore received its first shipment of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, two weeks after authorities approved it for use here.

This is the second vaccine approved for use in Singapore. The country received its first shipment of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine on Dec 21. 

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Education Minister Lawrence Wong, co-chair of the COVID-19 multi-ministry task force, said on Wednesday more vaccines from both Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech will arrive over the course of the year.

As of Thursday, Singapore has reported a total of 59,832 COVID-19 cases and 29 fatalities from the disease.

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