Five More Cases Discharged; Two New Cases of COVID-19 Infection Confirmed

       Five more cases of COVID-19 infection have been discharged from hospital today (Cases 14, 15, 31, 48 and 65). In all, 24 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospital.

2     As of 17 February 2020, 12pm, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed and verified two additional cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore. Of these, one was among the group of Singaporeans who were evacuated from Wuhan on 9 February and one is linked to a previous case.

Links between previous cases found3      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)      Cases 8 and 9, as well as Cases 31, 33 and 38, are linked to The Life Church and Missions Singapore (146B Paya Lebar Road). This is a possible cluster involving five cases (Cases 8, 9, 31, 33 and 38).

b)      Nine of the confirmed cases (Cases 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 27, 28, 34 and 40) are linked to the cluster associated with 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)      Eighteen of the confirmed cases (Cases 48, 49, 51, 53, 54, 57, 58, 60, 61, 62, 63, 66, 67, 68, 70, 71, 73 and 74) 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 was a contact of Cases 13 and 26;Case 77 is linked to Case 50, and Case 50 is linked to 55 and 65;Case 72 is linked to Case 59; andCase 75 is linked to Case 41.
5      Contact tracing is underway for the other seven locally transmitted cases to establish any links to previous cases or travel history to mainland China.

About the confirmed cases

Case 76

6      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 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 KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH).

7      All Singaporeans evacuated from Wuhan were tested for COVID-19 as an added precaution. He was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on 16 February afternoon.

Case 778     Case 77 is a 35 year-old male Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China. He is a contact of Case 50. He was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on 17 February morning and is currently warded in an isolation room at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases.

Update on condition of confirmed cases9      To date, a total of 24 cases have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospital. Of the 53 confirmed cases who are still in hospital, most are stable or improving. Four are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

Update on suspect cases 10      As of 17 February 2020, 12pm, 937 of the suspect cases have tested negative for COVID-19, and 77 have tested positive. Test results for the remaining 103 cases are pending.

Update on contact tracing for confirmed cases11      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.

12      As of 17 February 2020, 12pm, MOH has identified 2,358 close contacts who have been quarantined. Of these, 1,081 are currently quarantined, and 1,277 have completed their quarantine.

Health advisory

13     Singaporeans are advised to defer all travel to Hubei Province and all non-essential travel to Mainland China.

14      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.

15      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.
  

16      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.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH

17 FEBRUARY 2020