All this talk of a new normal may have given the impression that we’re close to the end of our battle with COVID-19.

But nothing could be further from the truth.

Yesterday, 15 new community cases were reported and two new clusters identified.

Here are the details:

1 of the New Clusters Reported on 25 June is in Changi General Hospital

Of the two new clusters, one, unfortunately, happens to be in Changi General Hospital.

Two new community cases were linked to the first case in the cluster, which now has three cases in total.

The two new cases are:

• a 67-year-old Singaporean man who works as a porter at Changi General Hospital
• a 72-year-old Singaporean man who works as a porter at Changi General Hospital

Both cases are linked to Case 64413 – a 35-year-old Singaporean man who also works as a porter at the hospital.

Both were detected through the hospital’s surveillance testing.

The 67-year-old had received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while the 72-year-old has been fully vaccinated.

The 67-year-old is asymptomatic, while the 72-year-old has a runny nose but did not seek treatment.

Both men’s serology test results are negative for the N antigen, which suggests the presence of early infection.

105 Henderson Crescent Cluster

The other new cluster was identified at 105 Henderson Crescent after six positive cases were detected in this block.

They are:

• a 70-year-old Singaporean woman who is a retiree
• a 40-year-old Singaporean woman who works as a finance executive at ST Engineering
• a 45-year-old Filipino man who works as a maintenance specialist at Air Liquide
• a 32-year-old male Singapore Permanent Resident who works as a part-time delivery rider with Grab and Foodpanda
• a 32-year-old female Singapore Permanent Resident who works as an operation manager at Green Mart SG
• a 45-year-old Singaporean man who works as a manager at Meinhardt Group

All of their infections were detected through community surveillance testing for residents of the block.

Two have been fully vaccinated, while another two have received one dose.

There are now 10 cases in the cluster.

115 Bukit Merah View Market & Food Centre Cluster

One cluster that seems like it will never stop growing is the 115 Bukit Merah View market cluster.

Two more community cases were linked to it yesterday, namely:

•  a 2-year-old male Singapore Permanent Resident who is a student at Hope Child Care Centre (3501 Jalan Bukit Merah)
• an 11-year-old Singaporean boy who is a student at Alexandra Primary School and was last in school on 28 May

The 2-year-old was placed on quarantine on 23 June after being identified as a family member and household contact of a previous case.

He developed a fever on 23 June and was tested for COVID-19 on the same day during quarantine.

His test result came back positive the next day. His serology test result is pending.

Other Linked Cases

The Case 64264 cluster, named after a 32-year-old Indonesian woman who is a foreign domestic worker, had one new case linked to it yesterday.

The new case is a 30-year-old Indonesian woman who is also a foreign domestic worker.

The last case with an established link to previous cases but not connected to any cluster is a 31-year-old Chinese man who works as a driver with MW Impex Pte Ltd.

Unlinked Cases

Of the 15 community cases, three were unlinked. They are:

• a 32-year-old Singaporean man who works as an equipment specialist at Singapore General Hospital (SGH)
• a 31-year-old Malaysian man who is employed by Fourways Pte Ltd as a cleaner at the National University of Singapore’s Prince George’s Park Residence
• an 84-year-old Singaporean woman who is a retiree

The SGH employee developed a sore throat and cough on 23 June and sought medical treatment at his workplace the next day, where he tested positive. His serology test result is pending.

The man received his first dose of COVID-19 vaccine on 13 January, and his second dose on 3 February.

5 Imported Cases

Besides the locally transmitted cases, 5 infections from abroad were detected. They are:

• 2 Singaporeans and 2 Singapore Permanent Residents who returned from India, Indonesia, and the UK
• 1 Work Permit holder who arrived from the Philippines

All had been placed on stay-home notice upon arrival here.

Collection of Self-test Kits in Bukit Merah/Redhill Region

The Ministry of Health said it’s investigating multiple cases of COVID-19 infection among individuals who reside and work in or visited the Bukit Merah/Redhill region.

It has been conducting special testing operations in the area, as well as wastewater testing, to disrupt any wider, undetected community transmission.

As a further measure, the authorities will provide residents of specific blocks in the Bukit Merah/Redhill region with antigen rapid test (ART) kits.

Residents in the area can collect these kits at their nearest residents’ committee centre from 26 to 27 June.

Head here to see if you’re eligible.

Featured Image: Google Maps