The Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed 215 new cases of Covid-19 infection on Wednesday, July 1.

This brings the total number of cases to 44,122.

Four imported cases

There are four imported cases, all of whom had been placed on Stay-Home Notice or isolated upon arrival in Singapore.

Of the four, three are Singaporeans/ Permanent Residents (Cases 43950, 44155 and 44156) who had returned to Singapore from Pakistan on June 19 and June 20.

They were placed on Stay-Home Notice upon arrival in Singapore, and had been conveyed in separate dedicated transport to SHN facilities to commence their 14-day isolation.

They are asymptomatic, and had been tested while serving their SHN.

The remaining case (Case 44158) had been tested upon arrival at Tanjong Pagar Terminal, and was isolated while awaiting his test result.

Six Singaporeans and four Work Permit holders

The vast majority of the new cases continue to be Work Permit holders residing in foreign worker dormitories.

There are 10 new cases outside of dormitories, of whom six are Singaporeans, and four are Work Permit holders.

Of the 10 cases in the community, two had been picked up as a result of MOH's proactive surveillance and screening, and three had already been placed on quarantine earlier.

Amongst the six Singaporean cases, one (Case 44052) had been identified as a contact of a previously confirmed case, and had already been quarantined earlier.

Epidemiological investigations are ongoing for the remaining cases, of whom three (Cases 44073, 44075 and 44118) had been swabbed under MOH's enhanced community testing after being diagnosed with acute respiratory infection.

Amongst the four Work Permit holders, two (Cases 44051 and 44053) been identified as contacts of previously confirmed cases, and had already been quarantined earlier. They were tested during quarantine to verify their status, even though they are asymptomatic.

The remaining two cases (Cases 44076 and 44137) are also asymptomatic and were detected due to MOH's proactive screening of workers in essential services.

Besides the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, serological tests were also conducted to determine if some of these cases are current or past infections. The serological test result for Case 44076 has come back positive, which indicates likely past infection. The test results for the remaining cases are pending.

Increase in new cases in the community

Overall, the number of new cases in the community has increased, from an average of four cases per day in the week before, to an average of eight per day in the past week.

The number of unlinked cases in the community has also increased, from an average of two cases per day in the week before, to an average of four per day in the past week.

209 remain in hospitals

511 more cases of Covid-19 infection have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities. In all, 39,011 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities.

There are currently 209 confirmed cases who are still in the hospital, most of whom are stable or improving.

One case is in critical condition in the intensive care unit (ICU).

4,876 cases who have mild symptoms or who are clinically well but still test positive for Covid-19 are isolated and cared for at community facilities.

26 have passed away from complications due to Covid-19 infection.

Top photos via Facebook / Changi General Hospital.