33 new Covid-19 cases in Singapore, including two in the community

[SINGAPORE] There were 33 new coronavirus cases confirmed as of Thursday noon, taking Singapore's total to 58,813.

There were two cases in the community.

Thursday's figures also included 31 imported cases who had been placed on stay-home notices or isolated on arrival in Singapore, said the Ministry of Health (MOH).

Among them, seven are Singaporeans or permanent residents, and 12 are foreign domestic workers.

No new cases from within workers' dormitories were announced.

On Wednesday, a 24-year-old Korean man who works at the Azur restaurant in Crowne Plaza Changi Airport was among the two new unlinked community cases.

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The work permit holder also preliminarily tested positive for the more infectious B117 strain of Covid-19 and was pending further confirmatory tests.

He delivered pre-packed meals to air crew and hotel guests, but did not interact with diners at the restaurant, said MOH.

The man's infection was detected during rostered routine testing last Saturday. He was tested again on Monday. That same day, he developed acute respiratory infection symptoms.

His test result came back positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday.

His serological test result came back negative, indicating that this is likely a current infection, said MOH.

The other community case is a 31-year-old Filipino work permit holder who arrived from the Philippines on Dec 4 and served his stay-home notice (SHN) until Dec 18. His pre-departure test on Dec 1 and test on Dec 14 during SHN were both negative.

He is employed by Singapore General Hospital but has yet to start work.

As part of his pre-employment health screening, he was tested for Covid-19 on Tuesday and his test result came back positive.

His serological test result also came back positive, which indicates a likely past infection.

There were also 29 imported cases confirmed on Wednesday.

They comprise one Singaporean, two permanent residents, one dependant's pass holder, five work pass holders, 16 work permit holders, one special pass holder and three short-term visit pass holders.

They tested positive while in isolation or serving SHN after their arrival in Singapore, said MOH. They had travelled from several countries including Britain, India and Indonesia.

MOH also said on Wednesday that stores in Plaza Singapura, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, Junction 8 and Food Paradise @ NTU Canteen 2 are among places visited by Covid-19 patients while they were still infectious.

Overall, the number of new cases in the community went up from two cases in the week before to 12 cases in the past week.

The number of unlinked cases in the community also rose from two cases in the week before to five in the past week.

A total of 64 patients were in hospital on Wednesday, including one in the intensive care unit, while 146 were recuperating in community facilities.

Singapore has had 29 deaths from Covid-19 complications, while 15 who tested positive have died of other causes.

Globally, the virus outbreak, which began in December 2019, has infected more than 87.1 million people. More than 1.88 million people have died.

THE STRAITS TIMES