One more case discharged; three new cases of COVID-19 infection confirmed

                  One more case of COVID-19 infection has been discharged from hospital today (Case 39). In all, 19 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospital.

2.                  As of 16 February 2020, 12pm, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed and verified three additional cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore. Of these, two are linked to the cluster at Grace Assembly of God, and the other is linked to a previous case.

Links between previous cases found

3.                  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 65 is linked to Cases 50 and 55;

• Case 72 is linked to Case 59; and

• Case 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 73

6.                  Case 73 is a 43 year-old male Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China. He is currently warded in an isolation room at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID). He is linked to the cluster at Grace Assembly of God.

7.                  He reported onset of symptoms on 9 February and sought treatment at a general practitioner (GP) clinic on 10 February. As he was identified as a close contact of Case 51^[1], he was served a home quarantine order on 13 February and conveyed to NCID on 14 February. Subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on 15 February afternoon.

8.                  Prior to hospital admission, he had attended church service at Grace Assembly of God (Tanglin) (355 Tanglin Road). He is a regular serviceman in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) but had not gone to work since onset of symptoms. He stays at Lorong 8 Toa Payoh.

Case 74

9.                  Case 74 is a 29 year-old male Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China. He is currently warded in an isolation room at Alexandra Hospital (AH). He is linked to the cluster at Grace Assembly of God.

10.                  He reported onset of symptoms on 12 February. He had sought treatment at the Urgent Care Centre at AH on 12 February, and again on 15 February when he was admitted and immediately isolated. Subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on 15 February afternoon.

11.                  Prior to hospital admission, he had gone to work at Hi-Yew Technology Pte Ltd (3031A Ubi Road). He stays at Mei Ling Street.

Case 75

12.                 Case 75 is a 71 year-old female Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China. She is a family member of Case 41^[2] and had been under quarantine since 7 February. She was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on 16 February morning and is currently warded in an isolation room at NCID.

Case 68 (Announced on 15 February)

13.                  Case 68 is a 79 year-old female Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China. She is currently warded in an isolation room at NCID. She is a family member of Case 66^[3].

14.                  She reported onset of symptoms on 30 January, and went to NCID on 14 February. Subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on 14 February afternoon.

15.                  Prior to hospital admission, she had attended church service at Bethany Presbyterian Church (364A Paya Lebar Road). She stays at Mei Hwan Drive.

Case 69 (Announced on 15 February)

16.                  Case 69 is a 26 year-old Bangladesh national who is a Singapore Work Pass holder, and has no recent travel history to China. He is currently warded in an isolation room at NCID. He is linked to the cluster at Seletar Aerospace Heights construction site.

17.                  He had been identified as a close contact of Cases 42, 47, 52 and 56, and had been quarantined at a government quarantine facility from 11 February. He reported onset of symptoms that night and was conveyed by ambulance to NCID on 14 February. Subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on 15 February morning.

Case 70 (Announced on 15 February)

18.                  Case 70 is a 27 year-old female Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China. She is currently warded in an isolation room at NCID. She is a family member of Case 66.

19.                  She reported onset of symptoms on 3 February and sought treatment at a GP clinic on the same day. She went to NCID on 14 February. Subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on 15 February morning.

20.                  Prior to hospital admission, she had attended church services at God’s Kingdom Bread of Life Church (37 Jalan Pemimpin), and had gone to work at HipVan Singapore (19 Kallang Avenue). She stays at Mei Hwan Drive.

Case 71 (Announced on 15 February)

21.                  Case 71 is a 25 year-old male Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China. He is currently warded in an isolation room at NCID. He is a contact of Cases 66 and 70.

22.                  He reported onset of symptoms on 1 February and had sought treatment at a GP clinic on 10 February. He went to Sengkang General Hospital on 14 February and was transferred to NCID on 15 February. Subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on 15 February morning.

23.                  Prior to hospital admission, he had gone to work at a construction site at Fernvale Lane and had attended church services at God’s Kingdom Bread of Life Church. He stays at Fernvale Road.

Case 72 (Announced on 15 February)

24.                  Case 72 is a 40 year-old male Chinese national who is a Singapore Work Pass holder, and has no recent travel history to China. He is a non-medical contact of Case 59^[4].

25.                  He reported onset of symptoms on 10 February and sought treatment at a GP clinic on 11 February and 13 February. As he was identified as a close contact of Case 59, he was sent to NCID by an ambulance on 14 February. Subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on 15 February morning.

26.                  Prior to hospital admission, he had visited Marina Bay Sands Casino (10 Bayfront Avenue) and gone to work at Aim Heng Car Service Pte Ltd (Woodlands Industrial Park). He stays at a rental apartment at Woodlands Crescent.

Update on condition of confirmed cases

27.                  To date, a total of 19 cases have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospital. Of the 56 confirmed cases who are still in hospital, most are stable or improving. Five are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

Update on suspect cases

28.                  As of 16 February 2020, 12pm, 871 of the suspect cases have tested negative for COVID-19, and 75 have tested positive. Test results for the remaining 119 cases are pending.

Update on contact tracing for confirmed cases

29.                  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.

30.                  As of 16 February 2020, 12pm, MOH has identified 2,179 close contacts. Of the 2,045 who are still in Singapore, 1,781 have been contacted and are being quarantined or isolated. Efforts are ongoing to contact the remaining 264 close contacts.

Health advisory

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

32.                  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.

33.                   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.

34.                  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.

[1] Case 51 is a 48 year-old male Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China, who is linked to the cluster at Grace Assembly of God.
[2] Case 41 is a 71 year-old male Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China. He was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on 8 February.
[3] Case 66 is a 28 year-old male Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China who is linked to the cluster at Grace Assembly of God.
[4] Case 59 is a 61 year-old male Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China. He was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on 13 February.