1,178 COVID-19 Cases Reported on 21 Sep; 3 Deaths & One New Cluster Reported

Yesterday was not a good day.

Not only did cases surpass the 1,100 mark, but it was revealed that there were three more deaths due to COVID-19.

In total, 65 COVID-19 cases in Singapore have succumbed to the disease. Here are the details:

Three COVID-19 Fatalities; One Was Fully Vaccinated 

The youngest of the three cases to pass away from COVID-19 complications was a 62-year-old woman who tested positive for COVID-19 on 23 Jul and was admitted to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital the next day.

She had a history of hypertension and hyperlipidemia and was unvaccinated. She died on Monday (20 Sep).

Another victim, a 74-year-old man, died a day earlier. He had been admitted to Tan Tock Seng on 31 Aug for an unrelated medical condition and tested negative for COVID-19 then.

However, a subsequent test on 9 Sep came back positive. The man, who had a history of chronic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia, was partially vaccinated against the disease.

The oldest victim, an 83-year-old man, was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital on 15 Sep with symptoms and tested positive for COVID-19 on the same day.

He was fully vaccinated but had a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, recurrent aspiration pneumonia, hypertension, and hyperlipidaemia.

This, coupled with his advanced age, “made him more susceptible to severe illness”, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said.

1,173 Local Cases, 1,038 From the Community

Yesterday, 1,173 locally transmitted cases were reported, of whom 1,038 were from the community. The remaining 135 infections are from migrant workers’ dormitories.

Among the local cases are 311 seniors above the age of 60.

Five imported cases were also detected, three detected upon arrival and two who developed the illness during their quarantine.

New Large Cluster at Tuition Centre 

A new large cluster was also discovered at LearnJoy Education Centre, a tuition centre located at Bedok North Street 3.

The cluster currently has 10 cases, comprising nine students and one employee.

Existing Clusters Grow

In addition, several of our existing large clusters grew.

This includes the preschool cluster at My Little Campus (Yishun). With five new cases, it now has 24 infections in total, comprising two staff members, 20 students, and two household members of cases.

The cluster linked to Pfizer Asia Pacific Pte Ltd has also grown to 37 cases. Transmission has been limited to the workplace, and there’s no evidence of spread beyond their worksite.

In total, MOH is currently monitoring nine large COVID-19 clusters.

1,109 Cases in Hospitals; 17 in ICU

At the moment, there are 1,109 COVID-19 cases warded in hospitals, most of whom are well and under observation.

147 severe cases require oxygen supplementation and 17 are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

Of these serious cases, 135 are seniors above the age of 60.

Over the last four weeks, 97.9% of the local cases were either asymptomatic or had mild symptoms.

As of Monday, 82% of our population has been fully vaccinated. 84% have received at least one dose.

Groups Most Vulnerable to COVID-19 Revealed By MOH

Yesterday, the health ministry released an advisory on the groups most vulnerable to COVID-19.

“As more information emerges about COVID-19 infections, there has been
further indication of groups who are at risk of poorer clinical outcomes in the event of
a COVID-19 infection,” it said.

These include:

• Individuals who are aged 60 and above
• Patients who are immunocompromised or have concurrent medical
  conditions such as obesity (BMI > 31), hypertension, diabetes, chronic heart
  and lung diseases, kidney diseases on dialysis, hypercoagulable states,
  cancer, or patients on drugs that cause immunosuppression
• Pregnant women
• Individuals with Down’s syndrome

Those part of the groups identified should take greater care to avoid exposure to COVID-19 infection, MOH said. They should also be encouraged to get vaccinated against the disease.

“They should pay special attention to MOH’s health advisories, to practise a high level of personal hygiene habits with frequent handwashing with soap and water,” MOH said.

MOH also advised them to continue taking medications for any underlying health conditions
exactly as prescribed and to seek medical attention promptly if feeling unwell.

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