SINGAPORE: A total of 30 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Singapore as of noon on Thursday (Dec 31), said the Ministry of Health (MOH) in its daily preliminary update.
Five community cases were reported and no new cases were found in foreign workers’ dormitories.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThis is the highest number of community infections reported in about four months. The last time Singapore reported more than five community cases was on Aug 30, with eight community cases.
Of the five new community cases reported on Thursday, two are family members of a previous community case - a Singapore permanent resident who works as a marine surveyor at Lloyd's Register Singapore. He was reported as a confirmed case on Wednesday.
He works on board vessels docked at Sembcorp Marine Admiralty Yard, MOH said on Wednesday.
The man developed acute respiratory infection symptoms on Dec 27 and sought treatment at a general practitioner clinic the next day where he was tested for COVID-19.
AdvertisementAdvertisementHe was confirmed to have COVID-19 on Dec 29 and was taken to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID). His serological test result was negative.
The three remaining community cases reported on Thursday are a family cluster involving a harbour pilot who was detected from rostered routine testing.
Of the new cases, 25 were imported and were placed on stay-home notice or isolated upon their arrival in Singapore. Of the imported cases, five are Singaporeans or permanent residents while nine are foreign domestic workers.
TESTING CLOSE CONTACTS OF COMMUNITY CASES
Advertisement"We are aggressively tracing and testing the close contacts of the community cases so as to ringfence these cases and prevent further transmission," said MOH.
MOH added it will start "special testing operations" to test individuals who boarded the ships that the harbour pilot and marine surveyor recently worked on.
Harbour pilots, marine surveyors and ship repair workers will also be tested in the coming days, regardless of their rostered routine testing schedule, to determine their COVID-19 status, said MOH.
"In view of the recent cases involving the marine sector, we will review the need to tighten our precautionary measures for these workers," it added.
Details of the new cases will be released on Thursday night, said the health ministry.
[h=3]READ: Marina Bay Sands, Orchard Gateway and Ghim Moh Market and Food Centre among places visited by COVID-19 community cases[/h][h=3]READ: Grab driver with COVID-19 worked from Dec 17 to 24, contact tracing of passengers ongoing: MOH[/h]Singapore began its COVID-19 vaccination exercise on Wednesday, with healthcare workers at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases the first to get the shots.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine requires two injections, given 21 days apart. Those who receive the first dose on Wednesday are scheduled to return for their second dose on Jan 20 next year.
Vaccinations will subsequently be rolled out to more healthcare institutions.
This will be followed by vaccinations for the elderly - starting with those aged 70 years and above - from February. Thereafter, other Singaporeans and long-term residents who are medically eligible for vaccinations can do so.
The vaccine will be free for all Singaporeans and long-term residents, including long-term work permit holders.
[h=3]READ: NCID nurse becomes first person in Singapore to receive COVID-19 vaccine[/h][h=3]READ: Individuals encouraged to get vaccinated for COVID-19 to provide better protection at 'community level': Gan Kim Yong[/h]MORE COVID-19 MEASURES FOR AIR CREW
Singapore on Wednesday also further tightened COVID-19 measures for air crew of Singapore carriers, including more frequent testing.
The move comes amid heightened risk of COVID-19 infection overseas given the resurgence observed in several parts of the world, said the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) on Wednesday.
The move also follows recent COVID-19 cases involving a Singapore Airlines (SIA) steward and pilot.
Air crew who layover in "high-risk destinations" will be required to undergo polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests on three occasions - upon arrival in Singapore, and on the third and seventh day following their return. Crew will also be required to self-isolate until they receive a negative result from their seventh-day PCR test.
Additionally, air crew on layover will be required to further minimise their contact with locals when they are overseas.
As of Thursday, Singapore has reported a total of 58,599 COVID-19 cases.
[h=3]BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments[/h]Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
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