53 Nanyang Primary students, 2 staff have acute respiratory symptoms of fever or sore throat; none have Covid-19, says MOH

SINGAPORE — As of noon on Tuesday (Jan 31), 53 students students and two staff members of Nanyang Primary School have acute respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough, runny nose and sore throat. None have tested positive for Covid-19, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said.

Of these 55 cases, two students were hospitalised but have since been discharged, MOH told TODAY in response to queries.

It added that some students have tested positive for influenza — though the number of cases across Singapore from Dec 25 last year to Jan 22 this year has "remained stable" based on its routine monitoring.

Earlier in the day, principal Wong Li Peng said that the school would be conducting home-based learning for some classes until Wednesday, after several cases of students having fever, cough and sore throat were detected over the past few days.

The school is located on King's Road in the Farrer Road-Bukit Timah area.

MOH said that it is in contact with it to advise the school on infection control measures.

"Singapore’s influenza activity typically increases in the middle of the year (May to July) and end of the year (November to January).

“While influenza is not a notifiable disease, MOH routinely monitors influenza through sentinel surveillance such as the average daily number of patients seeking treatment in the polyclinics for acute respiratory infections."

The ministry reminded the public to maintain good hygiene by washing their hands regularly with soap and water, especially before touching one's eyes, nose and mouth.

It also reminded people who are unwell to seek medical treatment promptly, wear a mask when going out and avoid close contact with others.