3 Singaporean elderly men die of Covid-19 complications; death toll reaches 73

SINGAPORE — Three Singaporean men aged 79, 83 and 86 with underlying health conditions have died from complications due to Covid-19, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Friday (Sept 24).

One of the men was not vaccinated against Covid-19 and the other two were, MOH said in its daily update on the coronavirus situation.

The 79-year-old man tested positive for Covid-19 on Sept 8. 

He had not been vaccinated against the coronavirus, and had a history of pulmonary hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Graves’ disease, hypertension and hyperlipidaemia. 

Hyperlipidaemia is a condition where a person has high levels of lipids such as cholesterol or triglycerides in the blood. It is one of the main risk factors for coronary heart disease and stroke.

Graves' disease is an autoimmune disorder that affects the thyroid.

The 83-year-old man tested positive for Covid-19 on Sept 14 and was vaccinated.

He had a history of diabetes mellitus, restrictive lung disease, hypertension and hyperlipidaemia which, together with his advanced age, made him more susceptible to severe illness, MOH said.

The 86 year-old man tested positive for Covid-19 on Sept 16 and had also been vaccinated against it.

He had a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ischaemic heart disease, bronchiectasis and hypertension which, together with his advanced age, also made him more susceptible to severe illness. 

Bronchiectasis is a chronic lung condition where there is abnormal widening of the airways with scarring and inflammation causing mucus or phlegm production.

MOH did not state in which hospitals the patients were warded. 

There are now 73 people here who have died after contracting the coronavirus.

On Friday, MOH reported 1,650 new cases of Covid-19 in Singapore, with 1,369 in the community, 277 in the migrant worker dormitories and four imported cases. 

To date, 84,510 people have been infected since the outbreak began last year.