On Tuesday (11 Aug), a Filipino seaman who arrived in Singapore on a vessel tested positive for Covid-19, reported the Ministry of Health (MOH).
Subsequently, 14 other seamen from the same vessel were found to be infected with Covid-19.
In addition to these 15 seamen, a technician who visited the vessel for work has also been infected, becoming the latest Covid-19 case linked to the vessel.
The cluster linked to the vessel started on 8 Aug, when the vessel arrived in Singapore from India, said MOH in an update on 12 Aug.
Case 55471, a 33-year-old Filipino seaman on the vessel, reported symptoms on 9 Aug, and tested positive for Covid-19 on 11 Aug.
He never left the vessel until he tested positive, and when he did test positive he was sent to hospital in an ambulance, MOH said.
He is classified as a special pass holder.
In a subsequent MOH update on 13 Aug, it was announced that 4 more Filipino seamen from the same vessel had tested positive for Covid-19.
Cases 55555, 55556, 55557 and 55558 all developed symptoms and were tested while still on board the vessel.
When they all tested positive on 12 Aug, they were also sent to hospital in an ambulance.
None of them had left the vessel until they tested positive.
In the most recent update by MOH on Saturday (15 Aug), it was announced that 10 more seamen from the same vessel had test positive for Covid-19.
All of them were identified as close contacts of the previous 5 cases, so they were tested while still on the vessel.
5 of them were asymptomatic, while the other 5 had already developed symptoms on 12 Aug.
When they all tested positive on 13 Aug, they were also sent to hospital in an ambulance.
None of them had left the vessel until they tested positive.
When the crew members were confirmed to have Covid-19, a 48-year-old male technician was placed on quarantine, MOH said.
The Filipino had visited the same vessel as the infected crew members to perform “essential repair and maintenance work”.
He did this from 8 Aug to 12 Aug, a total of 5 days.
Despite being asymptomatic, we was tested for Covid-19 anyway, and the test came back positive.
He was designated as case 55731, and unlike the 15 crew members, he is a work pass holder.
He was also classified as a community case, one of the 3 reported on Saturday (15 Aug).
In a news release on Saturday (15 Aug), the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said the vessel arrived in Singapore for repairs and refuelling.
The ship is registered to the Bahamas, and none of the crew members left the ship.
They were swabbed for Covid-19 while they were on board, and didn’t leave till the results were out, said the MPA.
Besides, the 15 crew members who tested positive and were sent to hospital, the other crew members have all been quarantined on the ship.
The MPA said that the vessel will be “thoroughly disinfected”, and food is being “lifted up the ship” for the crew, so physical contact is minimised.
There are now no ongoing operations for the ship.
We’re thankful that the 15 affected crew members stayed offshore on their vessel before testing positive.
The vessel is obviously highly contagious, as the technician got infected by just visiting it. 16 cases have already been linked to the vessel, and we hope there won’t be any more.
We wish all the infected cases a swift recovery.
Featured image adapted from Facebook.
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