Covid-19: Fully vaccinated roommate of earlier case at Westlite Woodlands dorm among 2 new local infections; 22 imported cases

• The second infected worker at Westlite Woodlands dorm is a 32-year-old Bangladeshi worker
• He is the roommate and colleague of a 35-year-old Bangladeshi worker at the centre of a growing cluster at the dorm
• Both workers had contracted the virus despite having received both shots of the Covid-19 vaccine 
• The sole community case was an 11-year-old student linked to an active cluster involving his parents

SINGAPORE — The second person to test positive for Covid-19 from the growing cluster at Westlite Woodlands dormitory is a 32-year-old Bangladeshi worker who had also completed his vaccination before he was infected, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Thursday (April 22).

The construction supervisor at Prosper Environmental and Engineering is the roommate and colleague of the 35-year-old Bangladeshi worker who was found to have contracted the coronavirus on April 19 despite having received both shots of the Covid-19 vaccine on March 12 and April 13.

In its evening update on the Covid-19 situation here on Thursday, MOH said that the 32-year-old work permit holder received his first dose on March 13 and the second dose on April 3.

"This likely accounts for his lack of symptoms," MOH said. 

Although he was asymptomatic, he was placed at a government quarantine facility on April 19 since he had been identified as a close contact of the earlier case.

The younger man was tested for Covid-19 on April 20 during quarantine and the test result came back positive the next day. He was then taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

His earlier tests from rostered routine testing — the last being on April 13 — were all negative, MOH said, adding that his serology test result for past infection is pending.

“The Covid-19 vaccine is effective in preventing symptomatic disease for the vast majority of those vaccinated, but it is possible for vaccinated individuals to get infected,” it said, noting that more research is needed to tell if vaccinations will also prevent onward transmission of infections.

“This is a reminder that we cannot afford to let our guard down,” MOH added, emphasising the importance of safe management measures, testing and contact tracing in keeping community transmission low. 

In an earlier announcement on Thursday, the authorities said that seven more workers from the Westlite Woodlands dormitory have tested positive for Covid-19 after recovering from past infections.

This brings the total number of cases at the dormitory to 19 in just this week.

Besides the 32-year-old worker, there was another new case in the community reported on Thursday along with 22 imported cases.

This was an 11-year-old student at Dimensions International College along Lowland Road in Kovan.

The Indian national is linked to an active cluster involving his parents who are permanent residents: A 41-year-old accountant at trading firm OM Universal and her husband, a 44-year-old manager of Spice Grill Restaurant and Rangoon Bar and Bistro.

The mother’s brother-in-law is the fourth member of the cluster so far.

The boy had been placed on home quarantine on April 16, the day his mother tested positive. 

He was swabbed on April 17 and 19 during quarantine and both results came back negative.

On April 21, he developed a fever and reported his symptoms to MOH. This time, his result came back positive and he was taken to the National University Hospital. 

“His serology test result has come back negative, indicating that this is likely a current infection,” the ministry said.

Overall, the number of new cases in the community has shot up from two in the week before to 10 in the past week.

The number of cases with no known links in the community has also gone up from one in the week before to five in the past week.

IMPORTED CASES

There were 22 imported cases of Covid-19 registered on Thursday and all had been placed on stay-home notices upon their arrival here, MOH said.

They were:

• A Singaporean and two permanent residents who returned from India, Malaysia and Pakistan

• Four dependant’s pass holders who arrived from India, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates

• Two student's pass holders who came from India

• Three work pass holders who came from India and the Maldives

• Eight work permit holders who arrived from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines — of whom three are foreign domestic workers

• Two short-term visit pass holders. One is a sea crew member who arrived from India to board a vessel in Singapore and the other was from Ethiopia for a work project here

UPDATE ON REMAINING CASES

The total number of Covid-19 cases in Singapore now stands at 60,904.

Of these, 60,603 people have fully recovered and been discharged, including 27 on Thursday.

There are still 67 patients in hospitals. Of these, most are stable or improving, and one is in critical condition in the intensive care unit, MOH said.

Another 204 patients are isolated at community facilities. They have mild symptoms or are clinically well but still tested positive for Covid-19.

Thirty people have died from complications due to the disease.