18 new COVID-19 infections in Singapore including 2 community cases

(Image by NYTimes)

There were 18 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore on 6 May 2021 Thursday including 2 community cases. One of the community cases was a cleaner working in Changi Airport Terminal 3 and the other was a full time national serviceman (NSF). The good news is that this was the second consecutive day that there are no new cases linked to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Tan Tock Seng Hospital is Singapore's largest active cluster at the moment.

The cleaner was a 88 year old Singaporean working for Ramky Cleantech Services and deployed at Changi Airport Terminal 3. He had not gone to work after the onset of symptoms.

He had developed a runny nose and cough on May 4 and sought medical treatment at a general practitioner clinic, where he was tested for COVID-19. His test result came back positive the next day and he was taken to Sengkang General Hospital in an ambulance.

He had an earlier routine testing done on 16 April 2021 and was negative for COVID-19.

He had also received his first dose of COVID-19 vaccine on 22 Jan 2021 and the second dose on 15 Feb 2021.

The other community case is a 22-year-old NSF permanent resident. He is a household contact of an earlier case who was working as a trailer truck driver at Brani Terminal and Pasir Panjang Terminal. He was tested for COVID-19 on May 5 even though he was asymptomatic. His test result came back positive the next day and he was taken in an ambulance to Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital.

The remaining 16 cases were imported and were placed on stay-home notice upon arrival in Singapore. They include seven permanent residents who returned from India, as well as a dependant's pass holder who arrived from Nepal.

Also among the imported cases were six work permit holders who arrived from Bangladesh and Indonesia, of whom four are foreign domestic workers. The remaining two imported cases are a work pass holder who arrived from Malaysia, as well as a student's pass holder who arrived from India and who had earlier been emplaced on his course.

Since 11.59pm on 23 Apr 2021, all long-term pass holders and short-term visitors with recent travel history, including transit, to India within the past 14 days were not be allowed entry into or to transit through Singapore.

These border measures were also applied from 11.59pm on 1 May 2021 to all long-term pass holders and short-term visitors with recent travel history, including transit, to Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Thank fully there are also no new infections were reported in migrant workers' dormitories.

As of Thursday, Singapore has reported a total of 61,286 COVID-19 cases and 31 fatalities from the disease.