Press Releases
Two more cases discharged; three new cases of COVID-19 infection confirmed
22 February 2020
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Two more cases of COVID-19 infection have been discharged from hospital today (Cases 19 and 28). In all, 49 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospital.
2. As of 22 February 2020, 12pm, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed and verified three more cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore. Of these, one is linked to the cluster at Grace Assembly of God, and one was among the group of Singaporeans who were evacuated from Wuhan on 9 February. Contact tracing is underway for the remaining case to establish any links to previous cases or travel history to China.
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) Four of the locally transmitted confirmed cases (Cases 31, 33, 38 and 83), as well as Cases 8 and 9, are linked to The Life Church and Missions Singapore (146B Paya Lebar Road).
b) Nine of the confirmed cases (Cases 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 27, 28, 34 and 40) are linked to 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) 23 of the confirmed cases (Cases 48, 49, 51, 53, 54, 57, 58, 60, 61, 62, 63, 66, 67, 68, 70, 71, 73, 74, 78, 80, 81, 84 and 88) are linked to the Grace Assembly of God.
4. Investigations on these clusters are ongoing. In addition to the clusters, our investigations have identified the following links between cases:
Case 44 is linked to Cases 13 and 26;
Case 72 is linked to Cases 59 and 79;
Case 50 is linked to Cases 55, 65 and 77;
Case 75 is linked to Case 41; and
Case 86 is linked to Case 82.
5. Contact tracing is underway for the other nine locally transmitted cases to establish any links to previous cases or travel history to mainland China.
About the confirmed cases
Case 87
6. Case 87 is a 32 year-old male Singapore Citizen who was among the group of Singaporeans who were evacuated from Wuhan on 9 February. He was without symptoms when he boarded the flight and was put under quarantine upon landing in Singapore. He is currently warded in an isolation room at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID). He is linked to Case 76[1].
7. All Singaporeans evacuated from Wuhan were tested for COVID-19 as an added precaution. He was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on 21 February afternoon.
Case 88
8. Case 88 is a 30 year-old female Singapore Citizen who has no recent travel history to China. She is currently warded in an isolation room at NCID. She is linked to Case 66[2].
9. She reported onset of symptoms on 16 February and had sought treatment at a general practitioner (GP) clinic on 17 February. As she had been identified as a contact of Case 66, she was referred by MOH to NCID on 21 February. Subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on 21 February afternoon.
10. Prior to hospital admission, she had mostly stayed at her home at Hougang Street 91.
Case 89
11. Case 89 is a 41 year-old male Singapore Permanent Resident who has no recent travel history to China. He was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on 22 February morning, and is currently warded in an isolation room at NCID.
Update on condition of confirmed cases
12. To date, a total of 49 cases have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospital. Of the 40 confirmed cases who are still in hospital, most are stable or improving. Five are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
Update on contact tracing for confirmed cases
13. 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.
14. As of 22 February 2020, 12pm, MOH has identified 2,734 close contacts who have been quarantined. Of these, 1,101 are currently quarantined, and 1,633 have completed their quarantine.
Health advisory
15. Singaporeans are advised to defer all travel to Hubei Province and all non-essential travel to Mainland China.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. 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.
[1] Case 76 is a 1 year-old male Singapore Citizen who was among the group of Singaporeans who were evacuated from Wuhan on 9 February. He was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on 16 February.
[2] Case 66 is a 28 year-old male Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China. He is linked to the cluster at Grace Assembly of God.