Singapore Armed Forces serviceman among 3 more tested positive for coronavirus in city-state

A Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) regular serviceman linked to a cluster at the Grace Assembly of God church is among three more people tested positive for the new strain of coronavirus in the city-state, its Health Ministry has said.

The 43-year-old serviceman has no travel history to China. He reported onset of symptoms on February 9, sought treatment at a general practitioner (GP) clinic the following day, and subsequently was tested positive for novel coronavirus on February 15, the Health Ministry said in a statement issued on Sunday (local time).

Prior to hospital admission, he had attended church service at Grace Assembly of God in Tanglin, a residential district located in the central region of Singapore.

The three confirmed cases have brought the total number of people infected from coronavirus in Singapore to 75, the second-highest after China, from where the virus originated. All three recent cases have no travel history to China.

Case 74 is a 29-year-old male Singapore Citizen, who too, is linked the cluster at Grace Assembly of God. He is currently warded in an isolation room at a hospital in Singapore.

Case 75 is a 71-year-old female Singapore Citizen, who is related to a person previously tested positive for coronavirus in the city-state. She was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection on 16 February morning and is currently warded in an isolation room at NCID.

Coronavirus originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December, last year, and has since then killed more than 1600 people in that country alone, while cases have been registered in several countries across the world, including India.

Health and other concerned ministries in nations around the world have stepped up their efforts to curb the spread of the deadly virus.

Last week, Singapore's Ministry of Health said the government will pay the hospital bills incurred by patients infected by the virus - officially known as Covid-19. This coverage does not extend to outpatient treatment at general practitioner clinics or polyclinics, nor does it apply to treatment sought at private medical facilities, the ministry said, as reported by The Straits Times.

Singapore has also raised its disease outbreak response level to 'orange' after confirmed cases with no travel history to China or links to the past cases, surfaced in the country.