The Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 30 new cases of Covid-19 on Sunday (Jan. 17).

This brings the total number of cases in Singapore to 59,113.

There are two cases of locally-transmitted and 28 imported cases of Covid-19 infection.

Two community cases

There are two cases in the community, both of whom are linked to previous cases.

Case 59365

Case 59365 is a 44 year-old male Singaporean who works as an administrative officer at the Singapore Police Force (2 Mowbray Road). He developed a dry throat on Jan. 7 but had not sought medical treatment.

He was tested on Jan. 15 as part of the special testing operations commenced by MOH at his workplace following the confirmation of Case 59280.

His test result came back positive for Covid-19 infection on Jan. 16 and he was conveyed in an ambulance to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID).

His serological test result has come back negative, indicating that this is likely a current infection.

Case 59387

Case 59387 is a 44 year-old female Singaporean who is a family member of Case 59365, and a homemaker.

She developed a fever and chills on Jan. 9, and subsequently loss of smell and taste on Jan. 13, but had not sought medical treatment.

As part of MOH's contact tracing efforts, she was contacted by MOH on Jan. 16 following the confirmation of Case 59365, and was tested for Covid-19 when she reported these symptoms.

Her test result came back positive for Covid-19 infection the next day, and she was conveyed to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital in an ambulance.

Her serological test result has come back negative, indicating that this is likely a current infection.

Epidemiological investigations are ongoing. In the meantime, all the identified close contacts of the cases, including their family members and co-workers, have been isolated and placed on quarantine, and will be tested at the start and end of their quarantine period so that MOH can detect asymptomatic cases.

The ministry will also conduct serological tests for the close contacts to determine if the case could have been infected by them.

28 imported cases

There are 28 imported cases, all of whom had been placed on Stay-Home Notice (SHN) or isolated upon arrival in Singapore.

Here's a breakdown of the cases:

• Two (Cases 59371 and 59373) are Singaporeans and one (Case 59384) is a Singapore Permanent Resident who returned from India, Indonesia and the UAE.
• Three (Cases 59358, 59359 and 59367) are Dependant’s Pass holders who arrived from India and the UAE.
• Two (Cases 59353 and 59377) are Long-Term Visit Pass holders who arrived from India.
• Five (Cases 59354, 59360, 59362, 59375 and 59381) are Work Pass holders who arrived from India, Lebanon, the Philippines and the UAE.
• 14 are Work Permit holders who arrived from Bangladesh and India, of whom one (Case 59370) is a foreign domestic worker.
• One (Case 59374) is a Short-Term Visit Pass holder who arrived from India to visit her Singaporean child.

They had all already been placed on SHN upon arrival in Singapore and were tested while serving SHN.

Case 59376 is a Work Permit holder who arrived from Bangladesh on Dec. 26, 2020, and served SHN at a dedicated facility until Jan. 9, 2021.

His swab done on Jan. 6 during SHN was negative for Covid-19, and subsequent tests on Jan. 10 and Jan. 12 were also negative.

His test on Jan. 15 came back positive for Covid-19 infection, although the Ct value was very high, which is indicative of a low viral load. His serological test result has also come back positive.

Given that these indicate likely past infection, we have classified the case as imported. He is likely to be shedding minute fragments of the virus RNA, which are no longer transmissible and infective to others.

62 more cases discharged

62 more cases of Covid-19 infection have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities. In all, 58,846 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities.

There are currently 49 confirmed cases who are still in hospital. Of these, most are stable or improving, and none is in the intensive care unit.

189 are isolated and cared for in community facilities.

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

Three new locations

MOH regularly updates a list of public places visited by confirmed Covid-19 cases for more than 30 minutes when they were infectious.

Three new locations were added to the list on Jan. 17, including Changi Airport Terminal 2 Pass Office on Jan. 6, Koufu at Yew Tee Point on Jan. 12 and Foodfare @ Choa Chu Kang Crescent on Jan. 13.

Here is the full list of locations:

The ministry also added:

"We strongly urge everyone to do their part to reduce the risk of transmission. Those who are unwell, including those showing early/mild symptoms, should be socially responsible and seek medical attention immediately and stay at home to prevent the spread of illness to others."

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Top photo by Zheng Zhangxin