SINGAPORE - A total of nine new coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Singapore, including two Singaporean men who attended a mass religious gathering in Malaysia, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Thursday (March 12).

Five of these are imported cases, and one is linked to a previous case.

The two men, aged 29 and 48, were both confirmed to be infected by the coronavirus on Thursday. The mass religious gathering at the mosque in Kuala Lumpur has been linked to several other Covid-19 infections.

Another imported case, Case 181, is Singapore's oldest patient to date.

The 83-year-old Indonesian man arrived in Singapore on March 9 and was confirmed to have the infection on Thursday.

A family member of his, a 76-year-old Indonesian woman, is Singapore's Case 182. She arrived here on March 9 and was confirmed to be infected on Thursday as well.

Both of them are currently warded at Gleneagles Hospital and are Singapore's first patients to be warded at a private hospital after confirmation of the Covid-19 infection.

Another patient announced on Thursday, Case 180, is a 71-year-old Singaporean man who was in the United States from Feb 27 to March 10. He is currently warded at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID).

Case 184, a 35-year-old Filipino man who is a Singapore work pass holder, is linked to Case 172, a 42-year-old female Filipino national who is a Singapore work pass holder and works at AXA Singapore in Shenton Way.

The remaining three cases - Cases 179, 185 and 186, aged between 34 and 66 - are linked to the private dinner function held at Joy Garden restaurant at Safra Jurong on Feb 15, which is Singapore's largest cluster with 43 people.

This brings the total number of cases in Singapore to 187. Of these, nine are in critical condition and in the intensive care unit, while 96 have fully recovered and been discharged from hospital.