Covid-19: 256 more cases discharged, 5 imported cases on Jul. 13

There were 11 cases outside of dormitories announced yesterday.

Jane Zhang | July 14, 2020, 12:55 AM

The Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed 322 new cases of Covid-19 infection yesterday (Jul. 13).

This brings the total number of cases to 46,283.

The higher number of cases yesterday is mainly due to fewer tests being conducted by the Covid-19 testing laboratories over the public holiday and weekend on Jul. 10 and Jul. 11, with the backlog of samples being cleared from Jul. 12, said MOH.

The number of cases reported for Jul. 9 and before were not affected.

11 cases outside of dormitories

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

There are 11 new cases outside of dormitories, of which two are Singaporean or Permanent Residents, six are Work Pass holders, and three are Work Permit holders:

Four of the community cases today are linked to previous cases or clusters.

Of these, two (Cases 46218 and 46291) had been identified as contacts of previously confirmed cases, and had been tested during their quarantine to determine their status, even though they are asymptomatic.

Another case (Case 46374) was swabbed as he works in essential services. The remaining case (Case 46254) was tested as part of MOH efforts to screen individuals working in frontline Covid-19 operations.

Seven of the community cases are currently unlinked.

Of these, six (Cases 46248, 46249, 46250, 46251, 46252 and 46253) are asymptomatic, and were identified from our periodic screening of workers in essential services who are living outside the dormitories.

The remaining case (Case 46017) was tested for Covid-19 after he sought treatment for symptoms.

Of the new cases, 97 per cent are linked to known clusters, while the rest are pending contact tracing.

Five of the newly confirmed cases are linked to one previous case to form a new cluster at a dormitory at 59H Tuas South Avenue 1.

Five imported cases

There are also five imported cases who had been placed on Stay-Home Notice upon arrival in Singapore.

Amongst the five imported cases, 2 (Cases 46217 and 46258) are Singapore Permanent Residents who returned to Singapore from India on Jul. 6 and from Pakistan on Jun. 20 respectively.

Another two cases (Cases 46212 and 46214) are Work Pass holders who are currently employed in Singapore. They arrived in Singapore from the Philippines on Jun. 30.

The remaining case (Case 46213) is a Dependant’s Pass holder who returned to Singapore from the U.S. on Jun. 30.

All of them had been placed on 14-day Stay-Home Notice (SHN) upon arrival in Singapore, and had been tested while serving their SHN.

MOH investigating company for non-compliance

MOH had earlier identified three cases (Cases 42616, 45227 and 45821) who are employees of Mini Environment Service Pte Ltd (120 Lower Delta Road), and had investigated the company for its compliance with safe management and safe distancing measures.

As there were non-compliances observed, MOH has directed that the workplace be closed for a period of 14 days, from Jul. 13 to Jul. 26 (inclusive), under Section 19 of the Infectious Diseases Act to prevent further spread at the workplace.

The closure will allow the company to review and tighten its safe management measures.

Close contacts of the cases had been placed on quarantine earlier, and all its employees will also be placed under health surveillance and tested for Covid-19.

    166 remain in hospitals

    256 more cases of Covid-19 infection have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities. In all, 42,541 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities.

    There are currently 166 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).

    3,550 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 / National Environment Agency (NEA).