Coronavirus: 1 new case in S'pore; 2 others discharged

[SINGAPORE] Two more people with the coronavirus disease were discharged and one new case was confirmed by the Health Ministry (MOH) on Monday (Feb 24).

This brings the total number of cases to 90, of which 53 have fully recovered.

MOH said most of the 37 still in hospital are stable or improving. Seven are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

The new case, a 75-year-old Singaporean woman, is linked to the cluster at The Life Church and Missions Singapore, which now has five confirmed cases. She has no recent travel history to China and lives in Bishan Street 12.

She first reported symptoms and visited a general practitioner clinic on Feb 9.

She went back to the same clinic on Feb 17 and again on Sunday, when she was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital by ambulance and immediately isolated.

Later that afternoon, she was confirmed to have Covid-19, the coronavirus disease.

The woman had mostly stayed at home before she was admitted to hospital, said MOH.

An MOH spokesman also confirmed that Case 89, a 41-year-old Singapore permanent resident, is the Filipino national mentioned by the Philippine Embassy in Singapore in a statement on Monday.

The embassy had earlier stated that a Filipino national had tested positive for Covid-19.

"Personal details of the patient were not shared by the Ministry of Health in line with its policy of patient confidentiality and privacy," said the statement.

It added that the embassy is working closely with MOH and is prepared to provide all necessary consular assistance to the patient.

Before being admitted to hospital, Case 89 was at work at Affinity Equity Partners, a fund manager in Temasek Boulevard. He lives in Serangoon.

He also visited Bishan Community Club, which on Sunday posted on Facebook that one of its tenants, Gymmboxx, had closed after a user was found to have Covid-19.

As of noon on Monday, MOH has identified 2,842 close contacts, with 856 currently quarantined and 1,986 having completed their quarantine.

With 23 cases, Grace Assembly of God remains the largest cluster. Other clusters so far are the Life Church and Missions Singapore, the Yong Thai Hang health products shop, the Grand Hyatt Singapore and a Seletar Aerospace Heights construction site.

THE STRAITS TIMES