Coronavirus Singapore

New local cluster formed; 8-year-old boy is latest case in para-vet group

Pedestrians at a traffic junction in Orchard Road last month. Along with the four community cases reported yesterday, there were also 26 imported cases.
Pedestrians at a traffic junction in Orchard Road last month. Along with the four community cases reported yesterday, there were also 26 imported cases. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY

The wife and the housemate of a 33-year-old Chinese national who tested positive for Covid-19 last Saturday have also tested positive for the infection, forming a new local cluster, according to the Ministry of Health (MOH) in a statement last night.

The two Chinese nationals are work permit holders who were identified as close contacts and put on quarantine last Friday. Both tested positive on Sunday.

The woman is 48 years old and is employed as a food processing worker at Soon Lee Heng Satay Foodstuff Manufacturer located in Woodlands Loop, while the housemate - a 31-year-old man - is a co-worker of the previous case at Golden Bridge Foods Manufacturing in Senoko.

The announcement of this new cluster follows the warning on Monday by multi-ministry task force co-chair Lawrence Wong that additional measures may be necessary as community cases inch up in Singapore. Mr Wong is also the Education Minister.

This is the second local cluster that has been discovered in recent weeks.

MOH also reported that another case has been linked to the para-vet cluster, bringing the number of cases to seven.

The latest case linked is an eight-year-old boy who is the son of an administrative officer and his wife who previously tested positive for the infection. The boy is a pupil at Chua Chu Kang Primary School, and last went to school last Friday. He was identified as a close contact of the couple and quarantined the next day.

He was swabbed on the same day and his result came back negative for Covid-19. However, the boy subsequently developed a fever on Sunday while in quarantine, and tested positive for the virus.

The final community case reported yesterday is currently unlinked. He is a 39-year-old permanent resident who works in sales at BS Industrial & Construction Supply in Kallang.

Along with these four community cases, there were also 26 imported cases, making a total of 30, and bringing Singapore's total case count so far to 59,157.

The 26 cases comprised four Singaporeans, three permanent residents, two student's pass holders, one work pass holder and 16 work permit holders, of whom three are foreign domestic workers.

  • Update on cases

  • New cases: 30

    Imported: 26 (4 Singaporeans, 3 permanent residents, 16 work permit holders, 1 work pass holder, 2 student's pass holders)

    In community: 4 (1 Singaporean, 1 permanent resident, 2 work permit holders)

    In dormitories: 0

    New community cases in the past week: 14 (5 unlinked cases)

    Active cases: 234

    In hospitals: 45 (0 in ICU)

    In community facilities: 189

    Deaths: 29

    Patients with Covid-19 who died from other causes: 15

    Total discharged: 58,879

    Discharged yesterday: 26

    TOTAL CASES: 59,157

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 20, 2021, with the headline New local cluster formed; 8-year-old boy is latest case in para-vet group. Subscribe