An Imported COVID-19 Case from India Tested Positive After He Completed his SHN

To some of us, the two-week mandatory quarantine period for some visitors may seem rather excessive, more so because it costs $2,000.

Plus, if they test negative for the virus when they arrive, surely they’re free from the coronavirus, right?

Unfortunately, unlike other viruses, Covid-19 can manifest quite late. It may be in your system for quite some time before it shows up on a test.

An Imported COVID-19 Case from India Tested Positive After He Completed his SHN

An imported Covid-19 case from India had tested positive for the virus after completing his mandatory stay-home notice, said the Ministry of Health (MOH).

The 31-year-old arrived in Singapore on 25 Sept and was placed under quarantine at a dedicated facility.

The man was tested on 5 Oct and his result was negative.

If this were any other virus, the man could happily invite some friends and throw a party, but this is the coronavirus we’re talking about.

On the same day that he completed his SHN – 9 Oct – the man developed symptoms. He visited the National University Health System (NUHS) Tower Block on 9 Oct and mostly remained at his hostel, Dream Lodge Singapore, for the next three days.

Then, on 12 Oct, when he took a pre-departure test in order to return to India, the man tested positive for Covid-19.

He was one of the four imported cases reported yesterday (13 Oct).

Good News: No Local Cases At All

Now this, this is a good reason to celebrate.

On Tuesday, MOH reported just 4 imported cases, meaning there were no local infections at all, in the community or in migrant worker dormitories.

This is the first time since 25 March that no new cases from dormitories were reported.

The other three imported cases include a PR from India, a student’s pass holder who arrived from France, and a short-term visit pass holder from the UK who was allowed entry to visit a family member hospitalised here.

Just like the 31-year-old man above, all were placed on SHN upon arrival and were tested while serving their SHN.

Need more good news?

Well, the cluster at Mandai Lodge 1 has been closed by MOH because it’s not had any new cases linked to it for 28 days.

Moreover, the number of community cases has decreased from a daily average of two cases two weeks ago to fewer than one in the past week.

The average number of daily unlinked cases has also gone down, from fewer than one case to none over the same period.

28th Covid-19 Death in Singapore Reported

What we must remember is that even though the number of cases is low, people are still getting infected.

And, if it leads to severe illness, it could be fatal.

Sadly, that’s what happened to a 64-year-old man who died from complications due to Covid-19, MOH said on Tuesday.

The man, who has a history of hypertension (high blood pressure), is the 28th patient here to die from the virus, and the first Covid-19 fatality in three months.

This serves as a reminder that the battle with Covid-19 is far from over – having a low amount of cases isn’t good enough; we need to completely eradicate the disease.

But at least we’re on the right path.

You can help keep the virus at bay by downloading the TraceTogether app. For more info about the app, watch this video to the end: