38 COVID-19 Cases Today (18 May); 27 are Community Cases

A month ago, people were mostly indifferent to the daily COVID-19 reports. Nowadays, everyone is going, “Again?”

As of 12pm today (18 May), the Ministry of Health (MOH) has preliminarily confirmed 38 new cases of COVID-19 infection.

27 are community cases, of which 11 are currently unlinked.

The remaining 11 are imported cases.

This brings the total number of cases in Singapore to 61,651.

Overall, the number of new cases in the community has increased from 32 cases in the week before to 149 cases in the past week. The number of unlinked cases in the community has also increased from 7 cases in the week before to 42 cases in the past week.

Unlinked COVID-19 Cases Reported on 17 May Include Fully Vaccinated NSF & 2 SP Students

Yesterday (17 May), Singapore recorded 28 new COVID-19 cases, of which 21 were community infections. Out of the 21, 11 were unlinked cases, including a full-time National Serviceman (NSF) and two students at Singapore Polytechnic (SP).

The 20-year-old NSF developed a runny nose on 12 May but did not seek medical treatment until 16 May when he also developed a cough.

He was tested for COVID-19 that day and his test result came back positive on 17 May.

His serology test result is pending. The NSF completed his vaccination regimen on 8 April, having received his first dose of COVID-19 vaccine on 18 March.

The two SP students who tested positive are a 16-year-old Singapore permanent resident (PR) and a 32-year-old IT engineer at AbbVie Operations Singapore Pte Ltd who’s also enrolled as a part-time adult learner at SP.

The Singapore PR developed a fever, sore throat, headache, and anosmia (loss of smell) on 14 May, and sought medical treatment at a GP clinic on the same day, where he was tested for COVID-19.

His result came back positive on 16 May and his serology test result is pending.

He has tested preliminarily positive for the B1617 variant, and is pending further confirmatory tests.

To know more about the different variants, watch this video to the end:

The 32-year-old engineer, meanwhile, developed a fever, headache, cough, and body aches on 15 May.

He sought treatment the next day, where he tested positive for his antigen rapid test (ART).

He was immediately isolated and underwent a PCR test on the same day. He was confirmed to be COVID-19 positive later that day. His serology test result is pending.

The remaining cases from yesterday include:

• 34 year-old male Malaysia national who is currently unemployed. He is linked to the casino dealer at Marina Bay Sands who was one of the community cases reported on Sunday (16 May). This hence has created a new cluster, dubbed “The Marina Bay Sands Casino Dealer” cluster.
• Three new community infections linked to the Changi Airport cluster, including an 8-year-old boy studying at Fuchun Primary School
• Two new community infections linked to the Learning Point cluster, including a 7-year-old girl studying at Maha Bodhi School
• One new community infection linked to the WOK HEY (White Sands) cluster
• A 36 year-old female Philippines national who is working as a foreign domestic helper. She is a close contact of a previous case.
•  A 57 year-old male Singaporean who is working as an engineer. He is a family member and household contact of a previous case.
• Seven imported cases

459 Active Cases

There are currently 213 confirmed cases who are still in hospital. Of these, most are stable or improving, and 3 are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

246 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.

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

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