Singapore reported 386 new COVID-19 cases as of noon on Monday (Jun 8), including two infections in the community.
One community case is a 26-year-old Singaporean while the other is a 59-year-old work pass holder from Switzerland. Both patients are male.
“Epidemiological investigations are ongoing for the two cases in the community today,” the Ministry of Health (MOH) said.
“Both were symptomatic and had been tested after seeking medical treatment at Public Health Preparedness Clinics.”
The vast majority of the new cases, 384 of them, are work permit holders residing in dormitories.
There were no imported cases.
Singapore’s tally of COVID-19 infections now stands at 38,296.
“Overall, the number of new cases in the community has increased, from an average of three cases per day in the week before, to an average of nine per day in the past week,” MOH said.
“The number of unlinked cases in the community has also increased, from an average of two cases per day in the week before, to an average of four per day in the past week,” the ministry said, noting this was partly due to “active surveillance and screening” of targeted groups, which have picked up more cases in the past week.
More Discharged, New Clusters
A total of 482 more cases of COVID-19 infection have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities.
In all, 25,368 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities.
There are currently 269 confirmed cases who are still in hospital, most of whom are stable or improving, said MOH. Four are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
A total of 12,634 patients are being 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.
Four new dormitory clusters were identified. They are at 216 Tagore Lane, 9B Tech Park Crescent, 16 Tech Park Crescent and 115 Tuas View Walk 1.
MOH also updated its list of public places visited by cases in the community during their infectious period.
These include two Giant supermarkets in Woodlands, a Jinjja Chicken outlet in Clementi Mall and IMM mall.
Health Minister Gan Kim Yong on Monday said the recent rise in community COVID-19 cases during Phase 1 of Singapore’s reopening is due to “proactive screening”. The situation remains “under control” with the rise in new cases “within expectations”, he added.
The Government on Monday also announced more details on the wearable contact tracing devices, or TraceTogether tokens, that it plans to roll out later this month.
With Singapore’s “circuit breaker” lifted, good contact tracing is “absolutely essential” to break the chain of transmission of COVID-19, said Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation initiative Vivian Balakrishnan.
In a televised address to the nation on Sunday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that the next few years will be disruptive and difficult, but Singapore will emerge stronger and better from the COVID-19 crisis.
Laying out the challenges that lie ahead, Mr Lee said that Singapore will have to learn to live with COVID-19 for the long term.
“We must all adjust the way we live, work and play, so that we can reduce the spread of the virus and keep ourselves safe,” he added.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) on Sunday announced that four students and one non-teaching school staff member were confirmed to have contracted COVID-19, after they were tested as part of the extended surveillance testing.
“While positive, the tests for all five cases revealed low viral loads. A repeat test using new samples showed that all five cases were negative,” said MOE in a press release.
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