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

              Ten more cases of COVID-19 infection have been discharged from hospital today (Cases 3, 23, 27, 50, 51, 57, 63, 70, 83 and 84). In all, 47 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospital.

2.            As of 21 February 2020, 12pm, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed and verified one more case of COVID-19 infection in Singapore, which 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)   Four of the locally transmitted confirmed cases (Cases 31, 33, 38 and 83), as well as Cases 8 and 9, are linked to The Life Church and Missions Singapore (146B Paya Lebar Road).
b)   Nine of the confirmed cases (Cases 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 27, 28, 34 and 40) are linked to 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)   22 of the confirmed cases (Cases 48, 49, 51, 53, 54, 57, 58, 60, 61, 62, 63, 66, 67, 68, 70, 71, 73, 74, 78, 80, 81 and 84) 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 is linked to Cases 13 and 26;

• Case 72 is linked to Cases 59 and 79;

• Case 50 is linked to 55, 65 and 77;

• Case 75 is linked to Case 41; and

• Case 86 is linked to Case 82.

5.            Contact tracing is underway for the other eight locally transmitted cases to establish any links to previous cases or travel history to mainland China.

About the confirmed cases

Case 86

6.            Case 86 is a 24 year-old male Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China. He is currently warded in an isolation room at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH). He is linked to Case 82[1].

7.            He reported onset of symptoms on 14 February and had sought treatment at two general practitioner (GP) clinics on 16 February and 18 February. He went to the emergency department at Ng Teng Feng General Hospital on 19 February and was immediately isolated. Subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on 20 February afternoon.

8.            Prior to hospital admission, he had mostly stayed at his home at Bukit Batok East Avenue 5. He is a student at Singapore Institute of Technology, but had not gone to school since onset of symptoms.

Case 85 (Announced on 20 February)

9.            Case 85 is a 36 year-old male Chinese 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 the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID).

10.            He reported onset of symptoms on 14 February and had sought treatment at a GP clinic on 14 February, 16 February and 19 February, as well as Yishun Polyclinic on 19 February. He was conveyed to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in an ambulance on the same day. Subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on 20 February morning.

11.           Prior to hospital admission, he had mostly stayed at his rental apartment at Woodlands Avenue 6, except to seek medical treatment.

Update on condition of confirmed cases

12.            To date, a total of 47 cases have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospital. Of the 39 confirmed cases who are still in hospital, most are stable or improving. Five are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

Update on contact tracing for confirmed cases

13.            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.

14.            As of 21 February 2020, 12pm, MOH has identified 2,696 close contacts who have been quarantined. Of these, 1,122 are currently quarantined, and 1,574 have completed their quarantine.

Health advisory

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

16.            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.

17.            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.

18.            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 82 is a 57 year-old female Singapore Citizen with no recent travel history to China. She was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on 18 February.