87 new Covid-19 cases in Singapore, including 1 in community and 13 imported

The confirmed cases included one community case who is a workpass holder and 13 imported cases. ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY

SINGAPORE - There were 87 new coronavirus cases confirmed as of Sunday afternoon (Aug 23), taking Singapore's total to 56,353.

They included one community case who is a workpass holder and 13 imported cases who had all been placed on stay-home notices upon arrival in Singapore.

More details will be released later on Sunday, said the Ministry of Health (MOH).

On Saturday, a 56-year-old Singaporean woman who works at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College Central was one of two community Covid-19 cases confirmed by the ministry.

She tested positive last Friday and had gone to work after the onset of symptoms last Wednesday. She was detected under the MOH's enhanced community testing to test all individuals aged 13 and above who are diagnosed with acute respiratory infection at first presentation to a doctor.

The other community case, also unlinked, was a 63-year-old Singaporean woman, who had been tested after being admitted to a hospital for another medical condition. She exhibited symptoms last Thursday and tested positive last Friday.

Two other cases were linked to Sungei Tengah Lodge to form a new cluster. The two patients are linked to 55 previous cases from the dormitory.

The dormitory at 500 Old Choa Chu Kang Road is one of Singapore's largest dormitories. It was previously confirmed as one of the biggest clusters here and was closed as a cluster on July 21.

There were also five imported cases who arrived in Singapore from Iran, the Netherlands, the Philippines, and India.

All five imported cases had been placed on a 14-day stay-home notice upon arrival in Singapore, and were tested while serving their notice at dedicated facilities, said the MOH.

The number of new daily cases in the community remained stable at an average of two cases per day in the past two weeks. The number of unlinked cases in the community has also remained stable at an average of one case per day in the past two weeks.

Singapore has had 27 deaths from Covid-19 complications, while 15 who tested positive have died of other causes.

Globally, the virus outbreak, which began in December last year, has infected more than 23.3 million people. More than 807,000 people have died.

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