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607 new COVID cases in Singapore; new Ren Ci home cluster

Office workers spend their lunch breaks at the central business district during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Singapore, September 8, 2021. REUTERS/Edgar Su
Office workers spend their lunch breaks at the central business district during the coronavirus disease outbreak in Singapore on 8 September, 2021. (PHOTO: Reuters)

SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Health (MOH) on Monday (13 September) confirmed 607 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore, taking the country's total case count to 72,294.

Of them, 597 are local cases: 534 are in the community, while 63 are dormitory residents. Among the local cases are 157 people above the age of 60, said the MOH.

The remaining 10 are imported, of whom four were detected upon their arrival in Singapore, while six developed the illness during their stay-home notice or isolation period.

Sixteen active COVID-19 clusters in Singapore are being closely monitored, said the MOH. Seven of them are linked to staff members at bus interchanges in Toa Payoh, Tampines, Boon Lay, Bishan, Jurong East, Clementi, and Punggol.

Of the list of monitored clusters, the highest number of 27 new cases was added to a new cluster at Ren Ci Nursing Home @ Bukit Batok Street 52. The cluster now has 28 cases, of whom 20 are residents and eight are staff members.

"All other staff and residents located on the affected levels have been tested, and the results so far are negative. The other residents and staff of the nursing home will also be tested," said the MOH.

Twenty-one new cases were added to the cluster at Chinatown Complex, which now has 105 infections, and has been closed to the public since 3pm on Sunday.

The MOH has classified the spread at the complex as "ongoing workplace transmission", infecting 73 stallholders and assistants, five cleaners or safe distancing ambassadors, as well as 27 household contacts of the workers.

Separately, 16 new cases were added to the cluster at 30 Sunview Way construction site, now totalling 156 infections. The transmission of COVID-19 has so far been confined to the site, with no evidence of spread beyond the premise, said the MOH. Fifteen of the cases have been quarantined earlier.

Daily new cases in Singapore are expected to rise to 1,000 over the upcoming weeks, and 2,000 by early October, if the current rate of infection persists, said authorities here.

57 require oxygen supplementation; 8 in ICU

Over 66,600 cases in Singapore, or some 99 per cent of the overall total, have fully recovered from their infection and have been discharged from the hospital.

As of Monday, 774 cases are currently warded, most of whom are well and under observation.

There are currently 57 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation and eight in critical condition in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Of those who have fallen very ill, 51 are patients above the age of 60, said the MOH.

Apart from the 58 patients who have died from COVID-19 complications, 15 others who tested positive for the virus were determined to have died from unrelated causes, including three whose deaths were attributed to a heart attack and another four whose deaths were attributed to coronary heart disease.

Over the last 28 days, the percentage of local cases who were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms is 98.2 per cent. Of the 94 cases who required oxygen supplementation over the same period, 48 were not fully vaccinated and 46 were fully vaccinated. Of the six who had been in the ICU over the same period, four were not fully vaccinated and two were fully vaccinated.

As of Sunday, about 8.87 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered under the national vaccination programme. Some 4.56 million have received at least one dose of the vaccine, with some 4.43 million having completed the full vaccination regimen.

Separately, 176,860 doses of other vaccines recognised in the World Health Organization’s Emergency Use Listing (WHO EUL) have been administered as of Sunday, covering 86,614 individuals.

This means that 81 per cent of the population have completed their full regimen, or received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and 84 per cent have received at least one dose.

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