3 new cases of Covid-19 in Singapore, with 2 more clusters identified

SINGAPORE — Three new cases of the novel coronavirus, Covid-19, have been confirmed in Singapore, while six patients have been discharged from hospital.

Two new clusters have also emerged — one at the Grace Assembly of God church and Seletar Aerospace Heights construction site.

This brings the total number of confirmed cases in Singapore to 50 and the number who have recovered from the virus to 15, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said at a press conference by the multi-ministry task force on Wednesday (Feb 12).

The six cases who have been discharged are patients classified as Cases 4, 12, 25, 29, 34 and 40. They include a Wuhan male resident who stayed at Village Hotel Sentosa after he arrived in Singapore, a Singaporean woman and man who both work at health product shop Yong Thai Hang that was visited by a tour group from Guangxi, China, as well as a Singaporean man who works at Diamond Industries Jewellery Company in Pasir Panjang visited by the same tour group.

Most of the other patients still hospitalised are stable and improving, while eight are in critical condition and are in the intensive care unit.

Of the three new people who tested positive for the virus, two are Singapore citizens who did not go to China but have links to the Grace Assembly of God church. Both visited the church sites in Tanglin and Bukit Batok.

The third is a Singapore citizen who also did not go to China. He is an employee with DBS who worked at the bank's Marina Bay Financial Centre office.

Mr Gan said that most of the patients will recover but some may become seriously ill.

However, a small number may succumb to the infection and Singapore should “prepare for the worst”, he said. 

MOH’s director of medical services, Associate Professor Kenneth Mak, noted that several cases were linked to places where people congregate. These include a cluster linked to Life Church and Missions Singapore at Paya Lebar and a cluster linked to a business meeting at Grand Hyatt hotel on Scotts Road.

Dr Mak urged the public to monitor themselves and to see a doctor if they are not well and to not continue social activities.

“Don’t doctor-hop,” he added, because this makes it difficult for doctors to diagnose patients.  

He reminded the public again that wearing a mask was not as important as keeping one’s hands and commonly used surface areas clean.

For example, a mobile phone that is often used should be regularly cleaned, he said.

“The best form of advice I can give you to defend yourself is washing your hands regularly, frequently, with soap and water, and also to be mindful of the things that you commonly touch. It is not wearing a mask that is the most important — it is hand-washing."

PANIC BUYING

Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong, speaking at the press conference, said that the “panic buying”, which started last Friday after Singapore raised its risk assessment level to Dorscon (Disease Outbreak Response System Condition) Orange, had stabilised.

While some supermarkets may not be fully stocked with all items, it was not due to a shortage of supplies but because there was insufficient manpower to do so.

The public can expect all outlets of major retailers to have normal stock levels in a day or two, he said.

Singapore will continue to ensure that its supply chains for food and groceries remain robust and a diversification strategy will ensure the country is protected, he added.

HOW SOME PATIENTS ARE LINKED TO CLUSTERS

• Cases 8 and 9, as well as Cases 31, 33 and 38, are linked to The Life Church and Missions Singapore (at 146B Paya Lebar Road).

• Nine patients (Cases 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 27, 28, 34 and 40) are linked to the cluster associated with Yong Thai Hang (24 Cavan Road off Lavender Street).

• Three people (Cases 30, 36 and 39) are linked to the private business meeting held at Grand Hyatt Singapore from Jan 20 to 22.

• Two patients (Cases 42 and 47) are linked to the Seletar Aerospace Heights construction site.

• Two (Cases 48 and 49) are linked to the Grace Assembly of God church.

THE CONFIRMED CASES

Case 48

• A 34-year-old male Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China but was in Malaysia on Jan 26. He is warded in an isolation room at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID).

Case 49

• A 46-year-old male Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China. He is warded in an isolation room at the National University Hospital (NUH).

• He reported onset of symptoms on Feb 3 and sought treatment at a general practitioner (GP) clinic on Feb 8. He went to the emergency department at NUH on Feb 8 and was discharged on the same day.

• He was admitted to NUH on Feb 10. The next day in the afternoon, test results confirmed Covid-19 infection.

• Before his hospital admission, he had gone to work at Grace Assembly of God (Tanglin) and Grace Assembly of God (Bukit Batok).

• He lives on Toh Guan Road near Jurong East.

Case 50

• A 62-year-old male Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China. He is warded in an isolation room at NCID.

• Before he was warded, he went to work at DBS Asia Central located in Marina Bay Financial Centre. He was confirmed to have Covid-19 infection on the morning of Feb 12.

• MOH has initiated epidemiological investigations and contact tracing to identify individuals who had close contact with him.

To date, a total of 15 people have fully recovered and have been discharged from hospital.

Of the 35 patients who are still in hospital, most are stable or improving. Eight are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

As of noon on Feb 12, 638 of the suspect cases have tested negative for Covid-19. Test results for the remaining 125 cases are pending.