40 COVID-19 Cases Today (20 Jan); 4 Are Community Cases

By
George Yang
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Once again, today comprises a mix of imported and community cases.

As of 12pm today, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has preliminarily confirmed 40 new cases of COVID-19 infection.

36 of them are imported cases while 4 are community cases. MOH will provide details of the cases later tonight.

This brings the total number of cases in Singapore to 59,197.

Based on yesterday’s figures, the number of new cases in the community has increased from 6 cases in the week before to 14 cases in the past week. The number of unlinked cases in the community has also increased from 4 cases in the week before to 5 cases in the past week.

Singapore Now Has 2 COVID-19 Clusters

Among the 30 new Covid-19 cases reported on Tuesday (19 Jan), four are from the community.

Two of the infections are linked to a previous case, meaning we now have a second Covid-19 cluster. 

Oh no, it’s starting up again.

The previous case is a food processing worker at Golden Bridge Foods Manufacturing – Case 59343.

One of the two new infections linked to Case 59343 is his co-worker and housemate. He is a 31-year-old work permit holder from China.

The man was quarantined on 15 Jan after being identified as a close contact of his housemate.

When tested on 17 Jan, his result came back positive even though he didn’t exhibit any symptoms.

Without contact tracing, the coronavirus would be impossible to contain.

His serological test result is negative, indicating that this is probably a current infection.

The second community case is a 48-year-old Chinese work permit holder who is the wife of Case 59343.

She is a food processing worker at Soon Lee Heng Satay Foodstuff Manufacturer.

Just like her housemate, she was quarantined on 15 Jan, and tested on 17 Jan.

She too, tested positive while asymptomatic, but got a negative result for her serological test.

Police Para-Vet Cluster Grows

You’re probably aware of the cluster involving the police K-9 unit para-veterinarian. It was our first cluster in many months.

Now, yet another community case has been linked to the cluster – an 8-year-old Singaporean boy.

The boy is the son of Case 59365, a 44-year-old Singaporean man who works as an administrative officer at the same unit as the para-vet, and Case 59393, a 43-year-old woman.

The boy is a student at Chua Chu Kang Primary School and had last gone to school on 15 Jan.

When tested the next day, it returned a negative result. 

But a day later, the boy developed a fever and was tested again.

This time, his swab test came back positive for the coronavirus. His serological test result was negative, meaning it’s a fresh infection.

With the boy, this cluster now has seven confirmed infections. 

Fourth Community Case Unlinked

The fourth community case is a 39-year-old PR who is currently unlinked.

He works as a sales personnel at BS Industrial & Construction Supply, located at 34 Kallang Place.

He developed a fever on 16 Jan and visited a polyclinic two days later, where he tested positive for Covid-19.

Pilot for KTV & Nightclubs Delayed

The rise in community cases also means there’s more bad news for KTV fans.

Ever since the country entered the circuit breaker, residents have had to sing into their shower heads while sobbing, as all KTV establishments were ordered to close.

A pilot for reopening KTV outlets and nightclubs was supposed to commence this month, but it has been delayed until further notice.

This is to prevent the risk of further community transmission and formation of clusters in high-risk settings, the authorities said.

So, if we want to return to these entertainment venues, we’ll have to tough it out and adhere to the restrictions for a little longer than anticipated.

Stick to safe distancing rules, always wear a mask when you go out, and most importantly, see a doctor if you feel unwell.

Featured Image: kandl stock / Shutterstock.com

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George Yang
Email: [email protected]