New Community Cases on 11 Feb Include a Person Working in Chinatown & an NSF

Though it may not seem apparent, all of us have certain duties and obligations to fulfil as members of society.

Some examples include not farting in lifts when another person is inside, and not sitting down at a hawker centre table if there’s a packet of tissues on it.

Thanks to the pandemic, three more of these unspoken rules were added to the list:

1. Wear a mask when outdoors
2. See a doctor if unwell
3. Stop licking strangers’ faces on the street

While everyone’s wearing a mask and abstaining from licking, we’re still avoiding the doctor when we’re unwell.

New Community Cases on 11 Feb Include a Person Working in Chinatown & an NSF

The conclusion of the Year of the Rat wasn’t exactly heartening.

Of the 12 new Covid-19 cases reported yesterday (11 Feb), three were from the community.

The other 9 cases were all imported and tested positive while serving stay-home notices.

One of the community cases reported is a 66-year-old sundry shop owner who works at Chinatown Complex.

The man developed a dry cough on 28 Jan and anosmia, or loss of smell, on Tuesday (9 Feb), but didn’t seek medical attention.

His infection was only detected from community surveillance testing of stallholders and shop owners in Chinatown on the same day.

His test result came back positive the next day, and he was brought to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) in an ambulance.

His infection is likely a recent one, as his serology test came back negative.

Just like his father, the man’s 32-year-old son was unwell but did not see a doctor.

He works part-time as a waiter at Swensen’s in Changi Airport Terminal 3, and was last at work on Monday (8 Feb).

He developed a runny nose on the same day after work.

Similarly, his infection was only detected as he had been identified as a close contact of his father and had to be quarantined.

Only then did he report his symptoms. He was then ferried to NCID and later tested positive for the disease.

The remaining Covid-19 community case is a 20-year-old NSF who works at the SAF premises at Paya Lebar Airbase.

Fortunately, he does not stay in camp and his work does not require him to interact with other units.

He felt unwell on 3 Feb, but thankfully, sought medical treatment at a general practitioner clinic.

However, he wasn’t tested for the coronavirus because he did not exhibit symptoms associated with an acute respiratory infection.

It was only after his medical leave ended and he returned to work that he developed a fever and a runny nose.

He sought treatment at the medical centre in Paya Lebar Airbase and later tested positive for Covid-19.

His serological test came back negative, indicating this is likely a current infection.

Seeing a Doctor is the Socially Responsible Thing to Do

The Ministry of Health (MOH) urged residents who are feeling unwell to see a doctor, after a spate of recent cases who chose not to do so.

Even if one is experiencing mild symptoms, seeking medical attention is the socially responsible thing to do.

The ministry also noted that with increased interactions over the Chinese New Year period, there will be higher transmission risks in the community.

That’s why we have to be vigilant and adhere to the safe management measures, they said.

These include:

• limiting visitors to 8 distinct persons
• limiting house visits to family members and to not more than 2 other households a day
• wearing face masks during lohei, and avoiding verbalisations of the auspicious phrases

Overall, the number of new community cases rose from three cases in the week before to seven cases in the past week.

The number of unlinked cases in the community also increased from two cases in the week before to six in the past week.

“If we all play our part, we can continue to keep the number of cases in our community low,” MOH said (again).

Featured Image: NG ZHENG HUI / Shutterstock.com