S'pore confirms 17 new cases in biggest single-day spike

Singapore has confirmed 17 new Covid-19 cases, including 11 that are imported, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said yesterday.

It is the highest number of new cases Singapore has reported in a single day. Among them is an 86-year-old Singaporean man, the oldest to be infected so far.

Four of the 17 cases are linked to previous ones, while two are unlinked. This brings the total number of cases here to 243.

One of the new cases, Case 235, is linked to three earlier cases: 144, 208 and 214. They are all contacts from the Church of Singapore (Bukit Timah branch), leading MOH to declare this as a new group of cases.

Dr Benjamin Koh, MOH's deputy secretary of development, said: "We continue to see a rise in the number of confirmed cases here as the global numbers increase rapidly. A significant proportion of our new cases are imported."

On Sunday, Singapore announced further measures to reduce the importation of coronavirus infections, and advised residents to defer all non-essential travel abroad.

"We urge Singaporeans to defer all non-essential travel abroad to reduce the risk of contracting the Covid-19 infection while overseas during this global pandemic. We would also like to encourage Singaporeans to continue to exercise social responsibility," Dr Koh added.

An earlier case, announced on Sunday, is a 30-year-old Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officer working at Sengkang Fire Station, MOH said at a news briefing.

The fire and rescue specialist last reported for work on Friday. He immediately sought treatment at Sengkang General Hospital on the onset of symptoms, the SCDF said in a statement yesterday.

He was not involved in any response to emergency medical calls involving suspected or confirmed cases. Areas he visited at the fire station and other SCDF premises have been disinfected. "The officer is currently receiving treatment at Seng-kang General Hospital. SCDF is in touch with the officer and his family to render support and assistance."

MOH said four more patients were discharged, making it 109 in all who have fully recovered. The 134 still in hospital are mostly stable and improving, but 13 remain in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

Among the three earlier cases in the church cluster, Case 144 is a 58-year-old Singaporean woman who is a contact of Case 140, and is also linked to the Safra Jurong cluster. She is a hairdresser at her home in Jurong West Street 74, and attended to customers after the onset of symptoms.

Case 208 is a 26-year-old female Singapore citizen with no recent travel history to affected countries. Before hospital admission, she went to work as a medical social worker at Singapore General Hospital.

Case 214 is a 29-year-old male Singapore citizen with no recent travel history to affected countries.