Covid-19: Foreign domestic worker sole community case, 34 others imported

SINGAPORE — The sole Covid-19 community case reported in Singapore on Wednesday (April 7) was a 40-year-old foreign domestic worker, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said.

On April 2, the Myanmar national developed a headache followed by a shortness of breath two days later. She was then tested for the coronavirus when she sought medical treatment on April 4.

“Her test result came back positive for Covid-19 infection on the same day and she was warded at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital,” MOH said.

However, the ministry said that another test conducted by the National Public Health Laboratory on April 5 was negative for Covid-19.

“Her serological test result has come back positive, which is indicative of a past infection.

“She could be shedding minute fragments of the virus RNA, which are no longer transmissible and infective to others, but given that we are not able to definitively conclude when she had been infected, we will take all the necessary public health actions as a precautionary measure,” it said.

The worker had first arrived in Singapore on Nov 13 last year and tested negative for the coronavirus when she was swabbed on Nov 23.

However, she was placed on quarantine from Nov 24 to 27 since she was identified as a close contact of a positive case during their flight to Singapore.

She then started work at her employer’s residence on Nov 27.

Overall, the number of new cases in the community has gone down from three in the week before to two in the past week, MOH said.

The number of cases with no known links to the community has also gone down from three in the week before to two in the past week.

IMPORTED CASES

There were 34 imported cases of Covid-19 registered on Wednesday and all had been placed on stay-home notices or isolated upon their arrival here.

They were:

• One Singaporean who returned from the United Kingdom

• Three dependant’s pass holders who arrived from France, India and Indonesia

• Four work pass holders who came from France, India and Indonesia

• Twenty-three work permit holders who arrived from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines — seven of whom were foreign domestic workers

• Three short-term visit pass holders. One had arrived from Canada to take part in a sporting event while the remaining two came from Bangladesh and India to visit their family members here

UPDATE ON REMAINING CASES

The total number of infections in Singapore is now 60,554.

Of these, 60,260 people have fully recovered and been discharged, including 21 on Wednesday.

There are still 46 patients in hospitals. Of these, most are stable or improving, and one is in critical condition in the intensive care unit, MOH said.

Another 218 patients are isolated at community facilities. They have mild symptoms or are clinically well but still tested positive for Covid-19.

Thirty people have died from complications due to the disease.