Covid-19: 682 new cases in Singapore; including 24-year-old S’porean man linked to dorm in Tuas

SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Health (MOH) on Sunday (May 17) announced 682 new cases of Covid-19 in the country.

This brings the total number of infections here to 28,038.

MOH also identified the formation of one more local cluster of infection, located at 9 Sungei Kadut Avenue.

Of the 682 new infections, five were cases in the wider community. Of these, four are Singaporeans or permanent residents and one is a work pass holder.

One of the Singaporeans infected — identified as Case 27,603 — works at the CDPL Tuas Dormitory. He is 24 years old and had reported an onset of symptoms on May 10. He then went to work at the dormitory before being confirmed to have the infection on May 16.

MOH did not specify what his duties there were.

He is the second known Singaporean linked to the cluster at the dormitory. On May 13, a 48-year-old man — Case 24,831 — was linked to the cluster. He had experienced an onset of symptoms on May 10 but was thereafter deployed for operations duties at the dormitory located at 6 Tuas South Street 15. His infection was confirmed on May 12. 

Three other Singaporeans — aged between 56 and 93 — have been classified as “local unlinked” cases by MOH.

Of the remaining cases, 673 infections were linked to foreign workers living in the dormitories and four were linked to the foreign workers residing outside dormitories.

MOH said that the number of new cases among work permit holders residing outside the dormitories has decreased, from an average of five cases a day in the week before, to an average of two a day in the past week.

Of the four cases reported on Sunday, two are flatmates who had been identified as contacts of an earlier confirmed case, and had been placed on quarantine from April 29.

“They were subsequently tested at the end of their quarantine, and were found to be positive for Covid-19. Epidemiological investigations are ongoing for the other two cases,” MOH said.

There were no imported cases on Sunday.

UPDATE ON THE REST OF THE CASES

In all, MOH said that 9,340 patients have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities, including the 998 discharged on Sunday.

There are currently 1,210 confirmed cases who are still in hospital.

Of these, most are stable or improving, and 16 are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

MOH added that 17,466 patients are isolated and cared for at community facilities. These are those who have mild symptoms, or are clinically well but still test positive for Covid-19.

Twenty-two people have died from complications due to Covid-19 infection.

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