Two new cases of COVID-19 infection confirmed

             As of 3 March 2020, 12pm, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed and verified two more cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore. Of these, one is linked to the cluster at Wizlearn Technologies Pte Ltd. Contact tracing is underway for the other case to establish any links to previous cases or travel history to affected countries or regions.

Links between previous cases found

2.            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)    Six of the locally transmitted confirmed cases (Cases 31, 33, 38, 83, 90 and 91), as well as Cases 8 and 9, are linked to The Life Church and Missions Singapore. These six cases are linked to another 23 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, 88) who are linked to the Grace Assembly of God.
b)    Nine of the confirmed cases (Cases 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 27, 28, 34 and 40) are linked to Yong Thai Hang.
c)    Three of the confirmed cases (Cases 30, 36 and 39) are linked to the 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)    14 of the confirmed cases (Cases 93, 95, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 108 and 110) are linked to Wizlearn Technologies Pte Ltd.

3.            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;

• Case 86 is linked to Case 82; and

• Case 107 is linked to Cases 94 and 96.

4.            Contact tracing is underway for the other 11 locally transmitted cases to establish any links to previous cases or travel history to affected countries or regions.

About the confirmed cases

Case 109

5.            Case 109 is a 70 year-old male Singapore Citizen who has no recent travel history to affected countries and regions. He is currently warded in an isolation room at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH).

6.            He reported onset of symptoms on 25 February and had sought treatment at a general practitioner (GP) clinic on 27 February and 28 February. He presented at SGH on 29 February and was immediately isolated. Subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on 2 March afternoon.

7.            Prior to hospital admission, he had gone to work at Fish Mart Sakuraya (154 West Coast Road) but had not served customers or handled food. He stays at Everton Park.

Case 110

8.            Case 110 is a 33 year-old male Singapore Citizen who has no recent travel history to affected countries and regions. He is currently warded in an isolation room at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases. He is linked to the cluster at Wizlearn Technologies Pte Ltd.

Case 108 (Announced on 2 March)

9.            Case 108 is a 34 year-old female Filipino national who is a Singapore Work Pass holder, and has no recent travel history to affected countries and regions. She is a foreign domestic worker employed by Case 101, and works in the same household as Case 102. She is currently warded in an isolation room at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH).

10.            She reported onset of symptoms on 25 February. She presented at NTFGH on 28 February, and was immediately isolated. Subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on 2 March morning.

11.            Prior to hospital admission, she had sought treatment for an unrelated condition at a dental clinic. She stays at Bukit Batok Street 24.

Update on condition of confirmed cases

12.            To date, a total of 78 cases have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospital. Of the 32 confirmed cases who are still in hospital, most are stable or improving. Seven 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 3 March 2020, 12pm, MOH has identified 3,173 close contacts who have been quarantined. Of these, 336 are currently quarantined, and 2,837 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, Iran, northern Italy, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

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.