12 new Covid-19 cases include 3 RSAF servicemen
Singapore
A TOTAL of 12 new Covid-19 cases have been confirmed in Singapore, including three Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) servicemen who were in France for training.
In an update on Wednesday, the Ministry of Health said that a case confirmed on Tuesday is also an RSAF serviceman who was in France. This means that at least four servicemen are now infected.
Of the latest 12 new coronavirus cases, eight including the RSAF personnel are imported, which means that they caught the disease overseas.
This is the largest number of imported cases Singapore has seen in a day and comes as countries around the world struggle to contain the virus.
One of the other new cases announced by MOH on Wednesday is linked to the private dinner function held at the Joy Garden restaurant at Safra Jurong on Feb 15, Singapore's biggest coronavirus cluster which now has 40 cases.
An emergency department nurse who had been working at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital is also among 12 new Covid-19 cases along with her husband.
The 35-year-old nurse and and her husband, 37, both Filipinos, are warded in isolation rooms at the hospital. They had both travelled to the Philippines recently.
The latest update brings the total number of cases here to 178. Three more patients have been discharged, which means that 96 have so far recovered.
The Ministry of Defence says the four regular servicemen who tested positive for the coronavirus after returning from France are hospitalised, while another two have been placed on home quarantine as they were close contacts.
All six were on the same official overseas duty trip from Feb 15 to March 7. The two at home are currently well, Mindef added.
In a statement Mindef said: "The Singapore Armed Forces had already reduced its overseas training deployments and exercises in view of the Covid-19 outbreak, and will continue to adjust such activities where necessary depending on the conditions within the host country."
None of the four servicemen who have been infected had been at their workplace or other SAF premises since their return from France, said Mindef.
They were on official duty in Marseille and returned to Singapore on March 8. They developed symptoms soon after that, said Mindef. They tested positive for the Covid-19 on Tuesday and Wednesday, and have been identified as Cases 165, 169, 173, and 175.
Three of the servicemen are currently warded at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), and one is at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. THE STRAITS TIMES
