One more case discharged; five new cases of COVID-19 infection confirmed

One more case of COVID-19 infection has been discharged from hospital today (Case 24). In all, 18 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospital.

2.              As of 15 February 2020, 12pm, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed and verified five additional cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore. Of these, three are linked to the cluster at Grace Assembly of God, one is linked to the cluster at Seletar Aerospace Heights construction site and the other case is linked to a previous case.

Links between previous cases found

3.              Further epidemiological investigations and contact tracing have uncovered links between previously announced and new cases. This was made possible with the assistance of the Singapore Police Force.

     a) Cases 8 and 9, as well as Cases 31, 33 and 38, are linked to The Life Church and Missions Singapore (146B Paya Lebar Road). This is a possible cluster involving five cases (Cases 8, 9, 31, 33 and 38).

     b) Nine of the confirmed cases (Cases 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 27, 28, 34 and 40) are linked to the cluster associated with Yong Thai Hang (24 Cavan Road).

     c) Three of the confirmed cases (Cases 30, 36 and 39) are linked to the private business meeting held at Grand Hyatt Singapore from 20 to 22 January.

     d) Five of the confirmed cases (Cases 42, 47, 52, 56 and 69) are linked to the Seletar Aerospace Heights construction site.

     e) Sixteen of the confirmed cases (Cases 48, 49, 51, 53, 54, 57, 58, 60, 61, 62, 63, 66, 67, 68, 70 and 71) are linked to the Grace Assembly of God.

Investigations on these clusters are ongoing.

4.              Contact tracing is underway for the other eight locally transmitted cases to establish any links to previous cases or travel history to mainland China. Case 44 was a contact of Cases 13 and 26. Case 65 is linked to Cases 50 and 55. Case 59 is linked to Case 72.

About the confirmed cases

5.              MOH has initiated epidemiological investigations and contact tracing to identify individuals who had close contact with the following cases who were confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on 15 February morning.

• Case 68: 79 year-old female Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China. She is a family member of Case 66.

• Case 69: 26 year-old Bangladesh national who is a Singapore Work Pass holder, and has no recent travel history to China. He is linked to the cluster at Seletar Aerospace Heights construction site.

• Case 70: 27 year-old female Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China. She is a family member of Case 66.

• Case 71: 25 year-old male Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China. He is a contact of Case 66.

• Case 72: 40 year-old male Chinese national who is a Singapore Work Pass holder, and has no recent travel history to China. He is a non-medical contact of Case 59.

Case 63 (Announced on 14 February)

6.              Case 63 is a 54 year-old female Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China. She is currently warded in an isolation room at NCID. She is linked to the cluster at Grace Assembly of God.

7.              She reported onset of symptoms on 10 February. She sought treatment at a general practitioner (GP) clinic on 13 February, and was subsequently sent to NCID by an ambulance. Subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on 14 February morning.

8.              Prior to hospital admission, she had gone to work at PUB and self-isolated at Marisson Hotel Bugis (103 Beach Road). She stays at Potong Pasir Avenue 3. 

Case 64 (Announced on 14 February)

9.              Case 64 is a 50 year-old male Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China. He is currently warded in an isolation room at the National University Hospital (NUH).

10.           He reported onset of symptoms on 3 February and had sought treatment at two GP clinics on 5 February, 7 February, 10 February and 13 February. He was referred to the emergency department at NUH on 13 February. Subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on 14 February morning.

11.           He is a taxi driver and prior to hospital admission, he had been working. He stays at Jurong West Street 81.

12.           MOH is working with the Ministry of Transport to reach out to all taxi and private hire car drivers on the steps they should take to protect themselves in the course of their work. For the general public, the risk of infection from transient contact, such as on public transport or in public places, is assessed to be low.

Case 65 (Announced on 14 February)

13.           Case 65 is a 61 year-old female Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China. She is a family member of Case 50.

14.           She had been identified as a close contact of Case 50, and was sent to NCID by an ambulance for assessment on 12 February. Subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on 14 February morning.

15.           Prior to hospital admission, she had attended church services at Church of Christ the King (2221 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8). She stays at Mei Hwan Drive.

Case 66 (Announced on 14 February)

16.           Case 66 is a 28 year-old male Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China. He is currently warded in an isolation room at NCID. He is linked to the cluster at Grace Assembly of God.

17.           He reported onset of symptoms on 29 January and had sought treatment at a GP clinic on 2 February, 5 February and 12 February. He was referred to NCID on 12 February. Subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on 14 February morning.

18.           Prior to hospital admission, he had gone to work at Grace Assembly of God, and attended church services at God’s Kingdom Bread of Life Church (37 Jalan Pemimpin). He stays at Mei Hwan Drive.

Case 67 (Announced on 14 February)

19.           Case 67 is a 56 year-old female Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China. She is currently warded in an isolation room at NCID. She is linked to the cluster at Grace Assembly of God, and family member of Case 61.

20.           She reported onset of symptoms on 9 February. As she was identified as a close contact of Case 61, she was sent to NCID by an ambulance on 13 February. Subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on 14 February morning.

21.           Prior to hospital admission, she had attended church service at Grace Assembly of God (Bukit Batok), and had accompanied Case 61 to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and NUH. She stays at Jurong West Street 64.

 Update on condition of confirmed cases

22.           To date, a total of 18 cases have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospital. Of the 54 confirmed cases who are still in hospital, most are stable or improving. Six are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

 Update on suspect cases

23.           As of 15 February 2020, 12pm, 812 of the suspect cases have tested negative for COVID-19, and 72 have tested positive. Test results for the remaining 107 cases are pending.

Update on contact tracing for confirmed cases

24.           Contact tracing for the confirmed cases is ongoing. Once identified, MOH will closely monitor all close contacts. As a precautionary measure, they will be quarantined for 14 days from their last exposure to the patient. In addition, all other identified contacts who have a low risk of being infected will be under active surveillance, and will be contacted daily to monitor their health status.

25.           As of 15 February 2020, 12pm, MOH has identified 2,093 close contacts. Of the 1,959 who are still in Singapore, 1,697 have been contacted and are being quarantined or isolated. Efforts are ongoing to contact the remaining 262 close contacts.

Health advisory

26.           Singaporeans are advised to defer all travel to Hubei Province and all non-essential travel to Mainland China.

27.           All travellers should monitor their health closely for two weeks upon return to Singapore and seek medical attention promptly if they feel unwell. Travellers should inform their doctor of their travel history. If they have a fever or respiratory symptoms (e.g. cough, shortness of breath), they should wear a mask and call the clinic ahead of the visit.

28.           Travellers and members of the public should adopt the following precautions at all times:

• Avoid close contact with people who are unwell or showing symptoms of illness;

• Observe good personal hygiene;

• Practise frequent hand washing with soap (e.g. before handling food or eating, after going to toilet, or when hands are dirtied by respiratory secretions after coughing or sneezing);

• Wear a mask if you have respiratory symptoms such as a cough or shortness of breath;

• Cover your mouth with a tissue paper when coughing or sneezing, and dispose the soiled tissue paper in the rubbish bin immediately; and

• Seek medical attention promptly if you are feeling unwell.

29.           MOH will continue to monitor the situation closely. As medical practitioners are on the lookout for suspect cases, Singapore is likely to see more cases that will need to be investigated.