Covid-19: 74 new cases in Singapore, with more than 70% locally transmitted

SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Health (MOH) on Wednesday (April 1) announced 74 new cases of Covid-19 here, bringing the total number of infections here to 1,000.

It is also the highest single-day spike of infections, the previous high being the 73 cases reported on March 25.

Two new clusters of infections have also emerged: The Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home along Thomson Lane and a dormitory located at 55 Sungei Kadut Loop in Woodlands.

MOH said that of the 74 new cases, 20 cases were imported, with patients having travelled recently to Australia, Europe, South America, countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as well as other parts of Asia.

Of the 54 local cases, 29 infections were linked to previous cases or clusters. The authorities have not yet established links for the other 25 cases.

To date, 245 patients have fully recovered from the Covid-19 infection and have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities, including the five discharged on Wednesday.

PATIENTS FROM THE PUBLIC HEALTHCARE SECTOR

MOH highlighted three new cases of infections from the public healthcare sector here.

Case 951

• A 29-year-old Singaporean woman who has no recent travel history to affected countries or regions. She reported an onset of symptoms on March 30 and tested positive for the coronavirus on March 31 in the afternoon.

• She is warded in an isolation room at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH).

• She is employed as a clinical research coordinator at SGH. Before hospital admission, she had gone to work on March 30 but had not interacted with patients.

Case 952

• A 37-year-old Singaporean woman who had been in the United Arab Emirates from March 14 to 20. She reported an onset of symptoms on March 30 and tested positive on March 31 afternoon.

• She is warded in an isolation room at SGH.

• She is employed as a nurse at SGH. Before she was warded, she had gone to work on March 30.

Case 978

• A 26-year-old Singaporean woman who has no recent travel history to affected countries or regions. She reported onset of symptoms on March 31 and was diagnosed on April 1 in the morning.

• She is warded in an isolation room at National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID).

• She is a doctor at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital but had not gone to work since the onset of symptoms.

UPDATE ON CONDITION OF CONFIRMED CASES

MOH said that of the 461 patients who are still in hospital, most are stable or improving.

Twenty-four patients are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

The ministry added that 291 patients who are clinically well but still test positive for Covid-19 are isolated and cared for at Concord International Hospital, Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Gleneagles Hospital and the Community Isolation Facility at D’Resort NTUC.

Three people have died from complications due to the disease.

LINKS BETWEEN PREVIOUS CASES

MOH said that further epidemiological investigations and contact tracing have uncovered links between previously announced and new cases.

• Ten of the newly confirmed cases (Cases 973, 976, 983, 984, 985, 986, 987, 988, 989 and 990) are linked to a previous case (Case 918), forming a new cluster at Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home (1 Thomson Lane).

• Two of the confirmed cases (Cases 972 and 974) are linked to a previous case (Case 868), forming a new cluster at a dormitory located at 55 Sungei Kadut Loop.

• Six more cases are linked to the cluster at S11 Dormitory @ Punggol (2 Seletar North Link), which now has a total of 10 confirmed cases (Cases 826, 829, 852, 860, 946, 947, 966, 979, 982 and 993).

• Two more cases are linked to the cluster at Westlite Toh Guan dormitory near Jurong East (18 Toh Guan Road East), which now has a total of seven confirmed cases (Cases 875, 922, 924, 925, 926, 934 and 977).

• One more case is linked to the cluster at Wilby Residences in Bukit Timah (25 Wilby Road), which now has a total of eight confirmed cases (Cases 439, 678, 793, 818, 848, 864, 873 and 980).

• One more case is linked to the cluster at Hero’s bar in Boat Quay (69 Circular Road), which now has a total of seven confirmed cases (Cases 192, 556, 657, 670, 714, 813 and 940).

MOH said that contact tracing is underway for 115 locally transmitted cases to establish any links to previous cases or travel history to affected countries or regions.