SINGAPORE, Dec 28 — The authorities are investigating for possible links between a woman who served her stay-home notice at Mandarin Orchard Singapore and 13 previously reported cases who had been quarantined at the same hotel.
The woman, a 23-year-old work permit holder from Malaysia, was among five new cases of Covid-19 infection reported yesterday, all of which were imported.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) said the woman stayed at Mandarin Orchard before she was transferred to another dedicated facility on December 20, when MOH commenced investigations into the 13 previously reported cases. These 13 had served their stay-home notice at Mandarin Orchard between October 22 and November 11.
The woman was swabbed on December 19 and 21, and her test results were negative. Her swab on December 24 at the end of her quarantine came back positive, and she was taken to a hospital the following day.
A confirmatory test by the National Public Health Laboratory was also positive, but a second sample taken by the same lab on December 26 came back negative.
Her serological test result was also negative, MOH said, adding that investigations are ongoing to assess if she could be linked to the 13 cases.
Apart from the woman, the other imported cases comprise a permanent resident who returned from Ukraine and three domestic workers who arrived from Indonesia and the Philippines.
Update on confirmed cases
The total number of Covid-19 cases in Singapore now stands at 58,524.
In all, 58,370 have fully recovered from the infection, including eight discharged from hospitals or community care facilities yesterday.
There are 31 patients who are still in hospital. Of these, most are stable or improving, and none is in the intensive care unit.
Another 94 with mild symptoms, or are clinically well but still test positive for Covid-19, are isolated at community facilities.
Twenty-nine people have died from complications due to Covid-19 infection.
Two eateries added to list
The ministry also added two eateries to a list of public places that were visited by Covid-19 cases during their infectious period.
The eateries are:
Cuppafield at 446 Bukit Batok West Avenue 8 — visited on December 24 between 12.50pm and 1.30pm
Haidilao Hot Pot at IMM — visited on December 24 between 9.15pm and 12 midnight
MOH said that as a precautionary measure, those who had been at these locations during the specified timings should monitor their health closely for 14 days from their date of visit.
They should see a doctor promptly if they develop symptoms of acute respiratory infection (such as cough, sore throat and runny nose), as well as fever and loss of taste or smell, and inform the doctor of their exposure history. — TODAY
