Chinatown Complex shop owner and son among 3 new Covid-19 community cases on Feb 11

SINGAPORE - A 66-year-old sundry shop owner who works at Chinatown Complex was among the three coronavirus cases in the community announced on Thursday (Feb 11).

The man and his son, who tested positive for the virus on Thursday, did not seek medical treatment despite showing symptoms, said the Ministry of Health (MOH).

The Chinatown Complex stall owner developed a dry cough on Jan 28 and anosmia, or loss of smell, on Tuesday (Feb 9).

He was detected from community surveillance testing of stallholders and shop owners in Chinatown on the same day, said MOH.

His test result came back positive for Covid-19 infection on Wednesday, and he was brought to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) in an ambulance.

His serology test result came back negative, indicating this is likely a current infection, said MOH.

His son, who works part-time as a waiter at Swensen's in Changi Airport Terminal 3, was last at work on Monday.

The 32-year-old Singaporean developed a runny nose on the same day after work.

As he had been identified as a close contact of his father, the ministry contacted him on Wednesday and placed him on quarantine.

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He reported his symptoms and was sent to NCID on the same day. His serology test result was negative, indicating that this is likely a current infection.

The ministry urged people who are unwell, including those showing mild symptoms, to be socially responsible, see a doctor immediately and stay at home to reduce the risk of transmission.

It also noted that both the 66-year-old shop owner and his son did not use the TraceTogether App or carry their tokens with them.

"Effective contact tracing is an important enabler to ringfence community transmission," said MOH. "Individuals are reminded to turn on their TraceTogether App or carry their TraceTogether token at all times so that we can quickly identify and isolate the close contacts of Covid-19 cases, and limit further infections," it added.

The last community case is a 20-year-old full-time national serviceman who works at the Singapore Armed Forces premises at Paya Lebar Airbase.

The Singaporean does not stay in camp and his work does not involve interacting with other units, said MOH.

He felt unwell on Feb 3 and sought medical treatment at a general practitioner clinic, but was not tested for Covid-19 as he did not have symptoms associated with acute respiratory infection.

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His test result came back positive on Wednesday, and he was brought to NCID. His serology test result was negative, indicating this is likely a current infection.

The ministry also confirmed nine imported cases, taking Singapore's total to 59,759.

They tested positive while serving stay-home notices, said MOH.

The imported cases came from several countries including Malaysia, India and Indonesia.

In an update on community surveillance testing in Chinatown between Monday and Tuesday, MOH said that out of 1,221 individuals tested, one tested positive for Covid-19 while another sample was rejected by the laboratory.

Other locations added to the list included City Square Mall, which was visited twice, and Bukit Panjang Plaza.

Overall, the number of new cases in the community increased from three cases in the week before to seven cases in the past week.

The number of unlinked cases in the community also increased from two cases in the week before to six in the past week.

"With increased interactions over the Chinese New Year period, there will be higher transmission risks in the community," said MOH.

"It is important that everyone remain vigilant and adhere to the safe management measures."

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.