Woman tests positive for virus two weeks after completing SHN

A 35-year-old long-term visit pass holder from India is the sole locally transmitted coronavirus case announced yesterday, said the Ministry of Health (MOH).

The ministry added that her case may be reclassified as an imported case as her serology test result is pending. "Should her serology test come back positive, and epidemiological investigations assess that this is a past infection, we will reclassify this as an imported case," it said.

The patient had travelled to India on Nov 30, said MOH. She took a pre-departure test in India on Jan 4 before her flight back, and tested negative for Covid-19.

Upon her return, she served a stay-home notice (SHN) at a dedicated facility between Jan 6 and Jan 20. Her swab done on Jan 17 was negative for the virus.

MOH said the woman, who is asymptomatic, was detected when she took a Covid-19 pre-departure test on Tuesday, before going back to India. Her test result came back positive yesterday and she was taken to KK Women's and Children's Hospital.

MOH added that all her identified close contacts, including family members, have been isolated and placed on quarantine. They will be tested at the start and end of their quarantine to detect asymptomatic cases.

It will also conduct serological tests on the close contacts to determine if the case could have been infected by them.

The ministry also reported 17 imported cases yesterday, taking Singapore's total to 59,602.

The cases included one permanent resident and one work pass holder who travelled from India.

There were also 14 work permit holders who arrived from Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia.

The remaining imported case was a sea crew member holding a special pass who travelled from Indonesia to board a vessel docked here.

All the imported cases tested positive while serving SHN or in isolation after their arrival in Singapore, said MOH.

The ministry added that the New Ocean 6 cluster has been closed as there have been no more cases linked to it for the past 28 days.

Overall, the number of new cases in the community decreased from five cases in the week before to four cases in the past week.

The number of unlinked cases in the community increased from one case in the week before to three cases in the past week.

A total of 39 patients remain in hospital, with none in intensive care, while 214 are recovering in community facilities.

Imported: 17 (1 permanent resident, 1 work pass holder, 14 work permit holders, 1 special pass holder)

In community: 1

In dormitories: 0

New community cases in the past week: 4 (3 unlinked)

In hospitals: 39 (0 in ICU)

In community facilities: 214

Discharged yesterday: 19