1,337 More Cases Discharged, 611 New Cases of COVID-19 Infection Confirmed

     As of 29 May 2020, 12pm, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed and verified an additional 611 cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore. The breakdown is as follows:

a) Imported cases: 0

There are no imported cases today.

b) Cases in the community: 9 (3 Singaporeans/Permanent Residents, 2 Work Pass holders, 4 Work Permit holders)

Amongst the 3 SC/PR cases today, 2 are linked to dormitory clusters, and had already been placed on quarantine earlier. 1 is currently unlinked.

Amongst the 6 Work Pass and Work Permit holders, 5 were picked up as a result of our proactive screening and surveillance. Amongst them, 3 were tested as part of our screening of migrant workers residing at shop-houses located at Balestier Road, due to their proximity to another cluster in the same area. The other 2 were tested before they were due to start work on plumbing/ electrical projects at schools, as a precautionary measure to prepare for the safe re-opening of schools. The remaining case is a contact of earlier cases, and had already been placed on quarantine earlier.

Overall, the number of new cases in the community has decreased, from an average of 6 cases per day in the week before, to an average of 5 per day in the past week. The number of unlinked cases in the community has remained stable at an average of 2 per day in the past two weeks. We will continue to closely monitor these numbers, as well as the cases detected through our surveillance programme.

c) Cases residing in dormitories: 602

We continue to pick up many cases amongst Work Permit holders residing in dormitories, including in factory-converted dormitories, because of extensive testing in these premises, as part of our process to verify and test the status of all workers.

2.    Details of these trends can be found in MOH’s daily situation Report (www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19/situation-report). Please refer to Annex A for the summary of the confirmed cases.

3.     Of the new cases, 99% are linked to known clusters, while the rest are pending contact tracing.

4.       MOH has been monitoring existing clusters for any further transmission. As there have been no more cases linked to Keppel Shipyard (51 Pioneer Sector 1) and 2 Tuas Avenue 10 for the past two incubation periods (i.e. 28 days), the clusters have now been closed.

5.     We had previously informed that of the preschool staff who have been proactively screened so far, 13 had tested positive using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Of these, 11 were likely to be past infections, based on epidemiological investigations, including their positive serological test results ^[1]. One more serological test has come back positive today. We have assessed that the individual was unlikely to be infectious by the time of the recent screening. The final serological test (Case 33092) has come back negative, which is indicative of a recent infection. The case is a non-teaching staff and had been asymptomatic. Her close contacts have been placed under quarantine. In all, more than 39,000 preschool staff ^[2] have been tested so far, and only one case is likely to be a current infection.

Links between previous cases found

6.     In the past week (22 May to 28 May), MOH has uncovered links for 2 previously unlinked cases.

7.      Further epidemiological investigations and contact tracing have uncovered links between previously announced and new cases. Please refer to Annex B and Annex C for details.

Cases from public healthcare sector

Case 33864

8.     Case 33864 is a 25 year-old Singapore Citizen who has no recent travel history to affected countries or regions. She was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on 28 May, and is currently warded at Changi General Hospital (CGH).

9.      She is employed as a physiotherapist at CGH but had not gone to work since onset of symptoms.

Update on condition of confirmed cases

10.    1,337 more cases of COVID-19 infection have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities. In all, 19,631 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities.

11.     There are currently 461 confirmed cases who are still in hospital. Of these, most are stable or improving, and 8 are in critical condition in the intensive care unit. 13,745 are isolated and cared for at community facilities. These are those who have mild symptoms, or are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19. 23 have passed away from complications due to COVID-19 infection.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH
29 MAY 2020

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[1] Cases whose serological tests are positive are likely have a past infection, and could be shedding minute fragments of the virus RNA picked by the PCR test, which were no longer transmissible and infective to others.

[2] Includes ECDA’s preschools, MOE kindergartens and pre-school sections in private education institutes.