SINGAPORE: Nine new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Singapore on Thursday (Mar 12), including two people who attended a mass religious gathering at a mosque in Malaysia.
The two are among five new imported cases reported on Thursday.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThree new cases are linked to a cluster involving a private dinner function at SAFRA Jurong, raising the total in the cluster to 43.
The latest confirmed cases bring Singapore's total to 187.
[h=3]READ: Singapore faces 'serious situation', needs to plan for spike in COVID-19 cases: PM Lee[/h]A total of 96 patients have fully recovered to date, said MOH. Of the 91 confirmed cases who are still in hospital, most are stable or improving. Nine are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe World Health Organization had on Wednesday declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic, in view of the rising number of cases reported around the world.
"Singapore has been planning ahead, and we have been progressively putting in place a suite of measures in preparation for a possible escalation of the situation, both locally and globally. The situation in Singapore remains under control, and we are not changing the DORSCON level," MOH said.
[h=3]READ: More than 7,000 Stay-Home Notices issued for COVID-19; checks done through GPS, photos: ICA[/h][h=3]Explore our interactive: All the COVID-19 cases in Singapore and the clusters and links between them[/h]NEW CASES
CASE 179
Case 179 is a 66-year-old female Singapore Citizen who had been in Malaysia on Feb 22. She is currently warded in an isolation room at National University Hospital (NUH). She is a contact of Case 121 and is linked to the cluster involving the private dinner function at SAFRA Jurong.
She reported onset of symptoms on Feb 27 and had sought treatment at a general practitioner (GP) clinic on Feb 29, Mar 9 and Mar 11. She was referred to NUH on Mar 11, and subsequent test results confirmed COVID-19 infection on Mar 11 afternoon.
Prior to hospital admission, she had mostly stayed at her home at Jurong West Street 73.
CASE 180
Case 180 is an imported case involving a 71 year-old male Singapore Citizen who had been in the US from 27 February to 10 March. He was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on 12 March morning, and is currently warded at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID).
CASE 181
Case 181 is an imported case involving a 83-year-old male Indonesian national who had arrived in Singapore on Mar 9. He was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on Mar 12 morning, and is currently warded at Gleneagles Hospital. He is a family member of Case 182.
CASE 182
Case 182 is an imported case involving a 76-year-old female Indonesian national who arrived in Singapore on Mar 9. She was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on Mar 12 morning, and is currently warded in an isolation room at Gleneagles Hospital. She is a family member of case 181.
CASE 183
Case 183 is a 29-year-old male Singapore Citizen who had been in Malaysia from Feb 29 to Mar 4. He was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on Mar 12 morning, and is currently warded in an isolation room at NCID.
He had attended a mass religious gathering at a mosque in Malaysia, and the Malaysian authorities had subsequently reported several confirmed COVID-19 cases linked to the event.
CASE 184
Case 184 is a 35-year-old male Filipino national who is a Singapore Work Pass holder, and had been in the Philippines from Feb 24 to Mar 1. He was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on Mar 12 morning, and is currently warded in an isolation room at NCID. He is linked to Case 172.
CASE 185
Case 185 is a 34-year-old male Singapore Citizen who had been in Malaysia from Feb 22 to Feb 23. He was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on Mar 12 morning and is currently warded in an isolation room at NCID. He is linked to case 142.
CASE 186
Case 186 is a 64-year-old male Singapore Citizen who has no recent travel history to affected countries and regions. He was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on Mar 12 morning and is currently warded in an isolation room at NCID. He is linked to Case 166.
CASE 187
Case 187 is a 48-year-old male Singapore Citizen who had been in Malaysia from Feb 28 to Mar 2. He was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on Mar 12 morning and is currently warded in an isolation room at NCID.
He had attended a mass religious gathering at a mosque in Malaysia, and the Malaysian authorities had subsequently reported several confirmed COVID-19 cases linked to the event.
[h=3]READ: 17 years after SARS, this quarantine order agent is back on the frontline[/h][h=3]READ: Two RSAF regulars on home quarantine after four others diagnosed with COVID-19[/h]DORSCON LEVEL WILL NOT BE RAISED
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Thursday that the Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) level would not be raised to Red, adding that the situation is "serious" but "under control".
Speaking in a televised address, Mr Lee noted that the outbreak is expected to "continue for some time - a year, and maybe longer". ??????
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MOSQUE CLOSURE
All of Singapore's mosques will be closed for five days beginning Friday, said Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli in a press conference earlier on Thursday.
The announcement came after MOH announced it was working to identify a number of Singaporeans who had attended a three-day religious event in Malaysia last month. Brunei earlier reported its first case of COVID-19 had attended the same event.
Mr Masagos said the estimated number of Singaporeans who had attended the event is 82.
COVID-19 OUTBREAK "A PANDEMIC": WHO CHIEF
The World Health Organization described the coronavirus as a pandemic for the first time on Wednesday, saying that Italy and Iran were now on the frontline of the disease and other countries would soon join them.
"We are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity and by the alarming levels of inaction. We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterised as a pandemic," WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference.
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The United States has suspended all travel from Europe for 30 days in an effort to curb the outbreak.
The restrictions will not apply to the United Kingdom, President Donald Trump announced.
The president, facing a re-election in November, has taken fire for what critics say is a slow response to the spread of the coronavirus, which has claimed more than 4,500 lives worldwide.
[h=3]READ: Singapore stocks plunge amid global sell-off after COVID-19 pandemic declared[/h]SINGAPORE STOCKS FALL
US stocks plummeted on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Index dropping around 1,465 points, or 5.9 per cent, leaving it more than 20 per cent below its peak, making it a bear market.
In Singapore, the benchmark Straits Times Index fell as much as 4.2 per cent to 2,666.05 during intra-day trading, Bloomberg data showed.
This is the lowest since March 2016, when it touched 2,654.98, according to data from investing.com.
The index closed down 3.7 per cent at 2,681.31, with losers outpacing winners at 449 to 99.
Year-to-date, the STI has fallen about 16.8 per cent.
[h=3]BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the novel coronavirus 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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