Covid-19: Student studying in UK sole community case; 33 others imported
SINGAPORE — The sole Covid-19 community case reported in Singapore on Wednesday (March 31) was a 22-year-old permanent resident who is studying in the United Kingdom.
In its evening update on the coronavirus situation here, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said that he has no known links to confirmed cases.
The student had returned to Singapore from the UK on Jan 11 and served his stay home notice at a dedicated facility until Jan 25, followed by another seven-day self-isolation at home until Feb 1.
His tests taken on Jan 24 during his stay-home notice and on Jan 29 during self-isolation were both negative for Covid-19.
“He showed no symptoms and was detected when he took a Covid-19 pre-departure test on March 30 in preparation for his return to the UK,” MOH said.
His positive test result was known on the same day and he was taken in an ambulance to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases.
MOH said that he could be shedding minute fragments of the virus ribonucleic acid (RNA) from a past infection that are no longer transmissible and infective to others.
“But given that we are not able to definitively conclude when he had been infected, we will take all the necessary public health actions as a precautionary measure,” it said.
Overall, the number of new cases in the community has gone up from none in the week before to three cases in the past week.
The number of cases in the community with no known links to past cases has also gone up from none in the week before to three cases in the past week.
Among the 145 confirmed cases reported from March 25 to 31, 52 cases have tested positive for past infections via serology tests, 67 have tested negative, and 26 serology test results are pending.
IMPORTED CASES
There were 33 imported cases reported on Wednesday and these individuals had already been placed on stay-home notices or isolated upon arrival in Singapore.
One Singapore permanent resident who returned from Myanmar
One dependant's pass holder who came from India
Two student's pass holders who came from India
Two work pass holders who arrived from India and Qatar
Twenty-two work permit holders who arrived from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, of whom eight are foreign domestic workers
Two short-term visit pass holders
Three special pass holders who are sea crew
UPDATE ON REMAINING CASES
The total number of infections in Singapore is now 60,381.
Of these, 60,149 people have fully recovered and been discharged, including 11 on Wednesday.
There are still 37 patients in hospitals. Of these, most are stable or improving, and one is in critical condition in the intensive care unit, MOH said.
Another 165 patients are isolated at community facilities. They have mild symptoms or are clinically well but still tested positive for Covid-19.
Thirty people have died from complications due to the disease.
