4 COVID-19 Cases Today (23 Feb); 1 is a Dorm Case

2021 has been a rather rollercoaster ride.

As of 12pm today (23 Feb), the Ministry of Health (MOH) has preliminarily confirmed 4 new cases of COVID-19 infection.

3 of them are imported case, and 1 is a dorm case.

Yes, a dorm case.

This brings the total number of cases in Singapore to 59,883.

Based on yesterday’s figures, the number of new cases in the community has decreased from 5 cases in the week before to 2 cases in the past week. The number of unlinked cases in the community has also decreased from 2 cases in the week before to 1 case in the past week.

Sole Community Case Reported Yesterday Has Been on Quarantine But Had Ignored Symptoms

After four consecutive days of no community Covid-19 cases, one was reported yesterday (22 Feb).

The man is the husband of a previous Covid-19 case – a Singapore Airlines cabin crew member whose case was reported on 9 Feb.

The man, according to the Ministry of Health (MOH), works as as an event planner but had not been to work since 1 Feb.

On 9 Feb, the 43-year-old was identified as a close contact of his wife and was placed on quarantine.

He was tested on that day, but it returned negative.

Then, on 15 Feb, the man developed anosmia – a loss of the sense of smell – during his quarantine, but did not report his symptoms.

Even after developing a fever on 20 Feb, he did not inform the authorities, and simply self-medicated.

His infection was only detected on Sunday (21 Feb) as part of MOH’s protocol to test individuals during quarantine.

His test came back positive for Covid-19 that day and he was conveyed in an ambulance to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases.

His infection is likely a recent one, as his serological test has come back negative. He has also been tested for the B117 strain of Covid-19, which is thought to be more infectious.

That result is pending.

MOH Reminds Individuals on Quarantine to Report Symptoms

MOH reminded those who are on quarantine or serving their stay-home notices that they are required to declare any symptoms immediately and to report their health status to the ministry every day.

“They are provided with a list of Covid-19 symptoms to look out for, as well as reporting instructions, at the start of their isolation period”, MOH said.

It urged residents to be socially responsible and report their symptoms early, even if they are mild.

104 Active Cases

There are currently 19 confirmed cases who are still in hospital. Of these, most are stable or improving, and 1 is in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

85 are isolated and cared for at community facilities. These are those who have mild symptoms, or are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19.

29 have passed away from complications due to COVID-19 infection.

Featured Image: Rajaraman Arumugam / Shutterstock.com (Image is for illustration purpose only)