MOH Declares 4 New Clusters On 23 Jun, Along With 13 Community Cases
The recent surge in community cases has given rise to numerous clusters over the past months.
On Wednesday (23 Jun), the Ministry of Health (MOH) declared 4 new clusters, bringing the total number of active ones in Singapore to 39.
In the same report, MOH closed 3 other clusters after no further cases were linked to them for the past 28 days.
13 new community infections reported on 23 Jun
In a press release on Wednesday (23 Jun), MOH declared 13 new community infections, of which 10 were linked.
22 New Covid-19 Cases In S’pore On 23 Jun Include 9 Imported
6 of the 10 cases are linked to 4 new clusters, which MOH declared.
Along with the closure of 3 others, Singapore now has 39 open clusters in total.
New cluster linked to Deutsche Bank analyst
The first of the clusters is linked to a Deutsche Bank analyst, Case 64374, who tested positive on Monday (21 Jun).
The new case in the cluster is a 29-year-old analyst at CrimsonLogic. He was a close contact of Case 64373 – also part of the cluster – and tested positive during quarantine.
2 young children part of new cluster
Another cluster involves 2 young children linked to Case 64359, a domestic worker who tested positive on Sunday (20 Jun).
Aged 4 and 8 years old, the 2 children are students at My First Skool (Tanjong Pagar Plaza) and Alexandra Primary School respectively.
The cluster currently has 4 cases, with the remaining case being a close contact of Case 64359.
Guardian promoter at ION Orchard part of another cluster
MOH also declared a new cluster linked to a Guardian promoter, Case 64135, who works at ION Orchard.
The new case joining the cluster is a 62-year-old building contractor who works at Seng Tat Enterprises.
MOH’s report states that he had been on quarantine since 13 Jun, and developed fever and shortness of breath on 22 Jun. The 62-year-old tested positive the following day.
He’s reportedly a family member and household contact of Case 64194, who tested positive on 13 Jun.
According to MOH, Case 64194 is a close contact of Case 64135, the Guardian promoter.
Prudential financial consultant linked to 3 other cases
Another 2 cases were linked to a new cluster involving Case 64349, a Prudential financial consultant.
The first of these cases is a close contact of the Prudential employee and tested positive while under quarantine.
The other new case involves a staff member at Monster Curry (ION Orchard). Despite testing negative on 14 Jun, he developed a sore throat and fever over the next week.
He tested positive after seeing a doctor on 21 Jun and was identified as a close contact of Case 64349.
The cluster currently has 4 cases linked, including a student at SIM who’s also a close contact of the financial consultant.
Bukit Merah View Market cluster continues to grow
The 3 linked cases reported on 23 Jun comprise individuals linked to the following clusters:
- 115 Bukit Merah View market — 1 new case
- 119 Bukit Merah View — 1 new case
- 90 Redhill Close — 1 new case
Outside of the Bukit Merah cluster, a sole linked case is an 86-year-old retiree who’s a household contact and family member of Case 64386.
Case 64386 is an 82-year-old retiree who was asymptomatic but was detected via surveillance when she sought treatment at Gleneagles Hospital.
3 unlinked cases, one of whom works at NCID
MOH also reported 3 unlinked cases on the same day, 2 of whom are retirees aged 69 and 81.
The former was detected during MOH’s surveillance testing of residents at Redhill Close.
The latter developed a cough on Sunday (20 Jun) and was conveyed to SGH and tested. His test results returned positive the next day.
A 34-year-old nurse who works at NCID is the remaining unlinked case. She had interacted with Covid-19 patients but donned full PPE including an N95 mask, a face shield, goggles, gown, and gloves at work.
She started experiencing a runny nose and sore throat on Monday (21 Jun) and sought treatment at a clinic the next day. Test results confirmed her infection on the same day.
Unlinked cases remain the most concerning
The emergence of new clusters will understandably cause concern for some. At the same time, it also proves the effectiveness of our contact tracing efforts.
What’s perhaps more concerning is the 3 unlinked cases that popped up, which could have infected others prior to their detection.
We hope the authorities will be able to get to the bottom of these cases and prevent further transmissions from happening.
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