Covid-19: NSF based at Sembawang Camp, Changi Airport cleaner are new community cases

SINGAPORE — A full-time national serviceman (NSF) with the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is one of two Covid-19 community cases reported on Thursday (May 6).

The 22-year-old man is the household contact of the 59-year-old trailer truck driver who was reported to have the infection the day before.

In its update on the coronavirus situation, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said that the younger man, a permanent resident, was placed on quarantine on Tuesday and immediately isolated while in Sembawang Camp.

He was tested for Covid-19 on May 5 even though he did not have any symptoms.

MOH said that the young man’s result came back positive the next day and he was taken to Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital.

“His serology test result (for past infection) is negative,” it added.

In a separate statement, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said that the NSF was served with a quarantine order on May 4 after being a close contact of the trailer truck driver. He had last visited the Sembawang Camp on the same day. 

As part of the precautionary measures in place for when positive cases are detected, Mindef said that SAF has carried out immediate and thorough disinfection of the premises where the servicemen had been.

“All personnel who had been identified as close contacts have also been swab-tested and are under quarantine,” it added.

The second case in the community is an 88-year-old cleaning worker who had been deployed at Changi Airport Terminal 3.

MOH said that the Singaporean man, who is employed by Ramky Cleantech Services, had not gone to work after the onset of symptoms.

The man — who had been fully vaccinated — developed a runny nose and cough on May 4 and sought treatment at a general practitioner clinic where he was tested for Covid-19.

He was confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus on May 5 and taken to Sengkang General Hospital.

MOH said that the man’s earlier test results from the routine testing of workers — the last being on April 16 — were all negative for Covid-19. His serological test is pending.

Overall, the number of new cases in the community has risen from 28 in the week before to 48 in the past week, MOH said.

The number of cases with no known links to other confirmed cases in the community has remained at seven a week in the past two weeks.

IMPORTED CASES

There were 16 imported cases of Covid-19 recorded on Thursday and all had been placed on stay-home notice upon their arrival here, MOH said.

They were:

• Seven permanent residents who returned from India

• One dependant’s pass holder who came from Nepal

• One student’s pass holder who came from India and had been given a place on his course earlier

• One work pass holder who arrived from Malaysia

• Six work permit holders who arrived from Bangladesh and Indonesia — four of whom are foreign domestic workers

MOH stressed that the imported cases who had arrived from the Indian sub-continent had already come into Singapore before the restrictions on travel from there were imposed recently.

UPDATE ON REMAINING CASES

The total number of infections in Singapore is now 61,286.

Of these, 60,873 people have fully recovered and been discharged, including 29 on Thursday.

There are still 120 patients in hospitals. Of these, most are stable or improving, and one is in critical condition.

Another 262 patients are isolated at community facilities. They have mild symptoms or are clinically well but still tested positive for Covid-19.

Thirty-one people have died from complications due to the disease.