SINGAPORE: Singapore reported another death linked to COVID-19 and 198 new cases on Friday (Apr 10), taking the total number of cases to 2,108.
An 86-year-old Singapore woman died from complications due to COVID-19 infection on Thursday night, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said.
“She was admitted to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) on Apr 1, and was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on the same day. NCID has reached out to her family and is extending assistance to them,” said MOH, identifying her as Case 987 from the Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home cluster.
The Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home said it is working with NCID to provide support to the victim’s family “in this time of difficulty and grief”.
“Today, it is with a heavy heart that a second resident of ours passed on in the hospital … We also continue to implement stringent healthcare measures to ensure the safety of our residents at our homes (Thomson and Silat),” its administor Then Kim Yuan said in a Facebook post.
In total, seven people have passed away from complications due to COVID-19 infection.
This does not include a 32-year-old Indian national who died at his residence on Wednesday after being tested at NCID on Tuesday for COVID-19. He was confirmed to have the disease on Wednesday after his death.
On Thursday, MOH said the man – Case 1,604 – had died from ischaemic heart disease and not due to complications from COVID-19 infection.
THREE NEW CLUSTERS; S11 CLUSTER TOPS 300 INFECTIONS
Of the new cases, 98 cases are linked to known clusters while 29 are linked to other cases. The remaining 71 cases are currently unlinked, pending contact tracing. There were no imported cases.
“Among the linked cases, 79 cases were linked to clusters at foreign worker dormitories and 48 were linked to non-dormitory clusters or other cases,” MOH said in its daily update.
MOH also announced three new clusters – a dormitory at 31 Sungei Kadut Avenue, a renovation site at the National University Hospital (NUH) and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) building at 10 Kallang Road.
READ: ICA Building to close for disinfection on Saturday after linked to COVID-19 cluster
Four cases confirmed earlier have been linked to the Sungei Kadut cluster, while a total of five cases have been linked to the cluster at the ICA building.
The cluster at a renovation site at NUH comprises 14 cases.
MOH said 24 additional cases have been linked to the S11 Dormitory @ Punggol, taking the cluster there to 306 confirmed infections.
The cluster at Westlite Toh Guan also increased to 69 cases, while a total of 34 cases have been linked to Toh Guan Dormitory.
More cases were also linked to the clusters at Sungei Tengah Lodge, Tampines Dormitory, Cochrane Lodge I, Cochrane Lodge II, Sungei Kadut Loop, Shaw Lodge and the Project Glory construction site in the central business district.
The clusters at Mustafa Centre, Keppel Shipyard, Dover Court International School and The Wedding Brocade have also grown.
The health ministry set out more details of Thursday’s new cases on its website.
READ: PM Lee appeals to older Singaporeans to stay at home during COVID-19 ‘circuit breaker’ period
MOH said that a total of 32 more cases have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities. In all, 492 have fully recovered.
Of the 875 confirmed cases who are still in hospital, most are stable or improving, while 32 are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
MOH said 734 cases who are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19 are isolated and cared for at community facilities.
ICA said in a separate update on Friday that its building at Kallang Road will be closed for disinfection on Saturday, in accordance with National Environment Agency (NEA) guidelines.
Customers who have appointments with ICA should visit the building only on Apr 13, ICA said. For foreign visitors whose visit passes are expiring on Apr 11 or Apr 12, ICA said that it will process their requests for extension on Apr 13.
CASES FROM PUBLIC HEALTHCARE SECTOR
MOH also reported three more cases from the public healthcare sector.
Cases 1842 and 1962 are both 26-year-old Singaporean women who have no recent travel history to affected countries or regions, and are close contacts.
Case 1842 reported onset of symptoms on Apr 8, and subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on Apr 9. Case 1962 reported onset of symptoms on Apr 7, and was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on Apr 10.
Both cases, who are warded at NCID, are doctors at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Prior to hospital admission, they had gone to work but only had transient contact with patients.
The third case, referred to as Case 1943, is a 35-year-old Singaporean woman who has no recent travel history to affected countries or regions. She reported onset of symptoms on Apr 4, and subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on Apr 9. She is currently warded in an isolation room at Sengkang General Hospital.
She is employed as a Patient Service Associate at Hougang Polyclinic but had not gone to work since onset of symptoms.
INCREASE IN CASES AT FOREIGN WORKER DORMITORIES
Singapore has seen an increase in COVID-19 cases at foreign worker dormitories recently.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Friday said that Singapore will do its best to take care of the needs of foreign workers here amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
The number of COVID-19 cases in foreign worker dormitories has surged in recent days, with clusters emerging in nine dormitories so far.
“We are paying close attention to the welfare of the foreign workers. They came to Singapore to work hard for a living, and provide for their families back home. They have played an important part building our HDB flats, Changi Airport, MRT lines,” said Mr Lee in a speech posted on Facebook.
READ: Singapore is paying ‘close attention’ to welfare of foreign workers amid COVID-19 outbreak: PM Lee
READ: NGOs launch initiatives to help migrant workers amid COVID-19 outbreak
He added that authorities have worked with employers to make sure that the workers will be paid their salaries and can remit money home.
Mr Lee also appealed to older Singaporeans to stay at home for their own safety during the “circuit breaker” period.
The elderly are more vulnerable to COVID-19. It is a “serious matter” if they contract the disease and the “chances of dying are much higher”, Mr Lee said in a video posted on his Facebook page.
BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
More Stories
Using Social Media As a Communication Tool During Disaster Recovery
How Recording Your Consulting Sessions Can Help You to Work Less and Get Paid More
Active Inquiry in Organizational Change