SINGAPORE – The Singapore Ministry of Health reported 16 new locally transmitted coronavirus cases on Thursday, the highest number since July 11 when the country reported 24 cases in the community.
The Southeast Asian country divides the cases into three categories – imported from overseas, in dormitories for migrant workers, and in the community.
In recent months, most of the infections in Singapore have been found in people entering the country and serving its mandatory quarantines.
However, cases in the church have increased this month.
“Overall, the number of new cases in the community has increased from 9 cases in the previous week to 13 cases in the past week,” the ministry said on Wednesday. So far, cases in the community have been around two per week.
People wearing face masks as a precaution walk down Orchard Road, a famous shopping area in Singapore.
Maverick Asio | SOPA pictures | LightRocket | Getty Images
Seven of Thursday’s community cases are family members of a previously confirmed case, while eight are related to a nurse who tested positive for Covid on Tuesday.
These eight cases were discovered through “proactive testing of patients and staff” on the ward where the nurse worked, the ministry said. No details were given about the remaining community case.
The nurse had received both doses of the vaccine but developed symptoms this week. After her infection was confirmed, the hospital closed the ward where she worked. A Facebook post also stated that no visitors were allowed to enter the stations until further notice.
In addition to community cases, Singapore reported 19 imported cases on Thursday, bringing the country’s total since the pandemic started to 61,121. As of April 18, Singapore had given more than 2.2 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine, with nearly 850,000 fully vaccinated out of a population of 5.7 million.
Comments are closed.