2 Community Cases Reported on 17 Jan Had COVID-19 Symptoms But Did Not Seek Medical Attention

By
Shawn Ambrose
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In the past, if you had minor flu symptoms, you’d simply take some medication and let the disease run its course.

Some with the flu might even power through their illness and go to work, something which used to be applauded.

Nowadays, a simple sneeze or cough will trigger instant panic and anxiety, as the inescapable question pops up in your mind: do I have Covid-19?

Since the symptoms are similar to that of the flu’s, it’s hard to tell which you have.

That’s why it’s so important to seek the professional opinion of a doctor.

Yet, some people choose not to do so.

2 Community Cases Reported on 17 Jan Had COVID-19 Symptoms But Did Not Seek Medical Attention

Of the 30 new Covid-19 cases reported on Sunday (17 Jan), two were from the community.

One of them is a 44-year-old male Singaporean who works as an administrative officer at the Singapore Police Force (SPF).

He is linked to a previous case – a 32-year-old male who works as a para-vet the same location (2 Mowbray Road).

The admin officer developed a dry throat on 7 Jan but had not sought medical treatment.

On 15 Jan, he was tested as part of the special testing operations conducted by the Ministry of Health at his workplace after the para-vet was confirmed to have the disease.

He tested positive for the coronavirus the next day, but his serological test came back negative, meaning it’s a fresh infection.

The other community case today is a 44-year-old female Singaporean who is a family member of the admin officer.

The homemaker developed a fever and chills on 9 Jan, and a loss of smell and taste on 13 Jan, but she too, had not sought medical treatment.

She was tested by the MOH on 16 Jan since she was a family member of the admin officer, and it returned a positive result.

Just like the admin officer, her serological test result has come back negative, indicating that this is also likely a current infection.

The Covid-19 cluster linked to the para-vet now has four infections.

28 Imported Cases

You may have noticed a rise in the number of imported cases recently.

This may be due to the fact that Singapore has started opening up it’s borders.

On Sunday, the remaining 28 Covid-19 cases all came from abroad. Fortunately, they were all placed on stay-home notice or isolated upon their arrival here.

Among the 28, two are Singaporeans and one is a Singapore permanent resident who returned from India, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Three were dependent’s pass holders who also arrived from India and the UAE.

Another two from India were long-term visit pass holders.

Five are work pass holders who arrived from India, Lebanon, the Philippines, and the UAE.

14 work permit holders also tested positive for the coronavirus, after they arrived from Bangladesh and India.

The remaining case is a short-term visit pass holder who arrived from India to visit her Singaporean child.

Tighter Border Measures

Thanks to a new, more infectious variant of the coronvirus and rising global infections, the authorities have implemented tighter border measures.

One of them mandates every visitor here to get their brain tickled by a swab.

That’s right, from 11.59pm on 24 Jan, all travellers, including Singaporeans and PRs, will need to take a Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test upon arrival in Singapore.

And, as a further precaution to combat the new Covid-19 strain, all returning citizens and PRs from the UK and South Africa will be subject to an additional 7-day self-isolation at their place of residence, following their 14-day SHN at dedicated SHN facilities.

This will take effect from 11.59pm on 18 Jan.

Moreover, short-term visitors entering Singapore under the Air Travel Pass (ATP) and Reciprocal Green Lanes (RGLs) will now need to have travel insurance for their Covid-19-related medical treatment and hospitalisation costs in Singapore.

Their insurance package must come with a minimum coverage of S$30,000. 

Yup, we’ve left 2020 behind, but it’ll be quite some time before we’ll stop hearing about additional border restrictions and new fears over Covid-19.

Featured Image: kandl stock / Shutterstock.com (Image is for illustration purpose only)

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Shawn Ambrose
Email: [email protected]