295 new Covid-19 cases in Singapore, including 2 in community and 7 imported

People getting a swab test for the coronavirus at Bukit Gombak Sports Hall on June 9, 2020. PHOTO: ST FILE

SINGAPORE - There were 295 new coronavirus cases confirmed as of Tuesday noon (Aug 4), taking Singapore's total to 53,346.

They included two community cases, a Singaporean and a work pass holder, said the Ministry of Health (MOH).

There were also seven imported cases who had been placed on stay-home notice upon arrival in Singapore.

Migrant workers living in dormitories made up the other cases.

More details will be announced on Tuesday night.

On Monday, the sole community case was an inmate who was admitted to Changi Prison Complex on July 30.

The 26-year-old Sri Lankan man, who is on a short-term visit pass, was tested as part of the Singapore Prison Service's proactive screening of newly admitted inmates.

He had been segregated from the general inmate population since his admission, MOH said.

The man also served an earlier sentence in prison but had tested negative for his entry and exit swabs then on July 2 and July 22, respectively. He is currently unlinked to other known cases.

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The rest of Monday's new patients comprised nine imported cases who had been placed on stay-home notice upon their arrival in Singapore from India, Japan and the Philippines, as well as 216 migrant workers staying in dormitories.

Among the imported cases was a one-year-old boy who arrived from India last month. The Indian national was confirmed to have the coronavirus on Sunday.

He holds a dependant's pass and is a contact of a previous case.

Another imported case is a permanent resident - a 40-year-old man - who returned to Singapore from India on July 22.

The ministry also announced that a patient was in critical condition in intensive care for the first time since July 13.

The ICU case is one of the 115 coronavirus patients who are still in hospital.

The average number of new daily cases in the community during a week has decreased from five cases two weeks ago to two in the past week.

The number of unlinked cases in the community during a week has also fallen from a daily average of three cases to one over the same periods.

Singapore has had 27 deaths from Covid-19 complications, while 15 who tested positive have died of other causes.

Globally, the virus outbreak, which began in December last year, has infected more than 18.4 million people. More than 696,000 people have died.

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