The Ministry of Health (MOH) has preliminarily confirmed 1,037 new coronavirus cases in Singapore today (April 23). The vast majority of the cases are foreign workers residing in dormitories.
21 are Singaporeans and Permanent Residents.
This brings the total number of cases to 11,178, with 896 patients discharged and 12 deaths.
MOH is still working through the details of the cases, and share further updates tonight.
For the latest updates on the coronavirus, visit here.
A thoughtful bus captain has brightened up his passengers’ day with an infectious smile — on his face mask, that is.
In a video clip shared on Facebook on Wednesday (April 22), the man was seen sporting a face mask with a bucktooth design.
As the bus waited for the traffic light to turn green, an amused passenger approached the bus driver, asking in Mandarin: “Where did you buy this mask?”
SINGAPORE: A network analysis tool that helps automate contact tracing was able to plot links between COVID-19 clusters in Singapore, including Mustafa Centre, the Project Glory construction site and several foreign worker dormitories, one of which was S11 Dormitory@Punggol, currently with more than 2,000 infections.
The Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) said that relevant case information was fed into the tool developed by its engineers from early April.
While links had been identified among those clusters, the tool substantiated the findings and found more cases connected to the clusters.
New confirmed cases who visited the mall in Little India were then linked to the construction sites as well as the dormitories, where the number of COVID-19 cases has exploded.
Singapore on Wednesday reported 1,016 new cases of the disease, bringing the total number of cases above 10,000. Of these, the majority are migrant workers residing in dormitories. There are now more than 40 clusters at dorms, construction sites and related areas.
As of Wednesday, there were 113 cases linked to the cluster at Mustafa Centre. Using the tool, contact tracers were able to indicate a growing number of confirmed cases who had either visited or worked at Mustafa Centre in Little India.
Shopping mall Mustafa Centre at Syed Alwi Road. (Photo: Jeremy Long)
“This further supported the possibility that the Mustafa Centre cluster was the initiating point for a number of cases,” said DSTA.
Authorities have said that the rapid spread of the disease among migrant workers was a result of them having close contact at work sites and at social gatherings on their days off. They then brought the virus back to the dormitories where many workers live together in the same room.
The tool has also helped identify new clusters at the Ce La Vi rooftop bar and the Black Tap restaurant at Marina Bay Sands.
Explaining how the network analysis tool works, DSTA said that it maps out a visual network of cases using data analytics. Orange nodes represent people that the cases had come into contact with, while brown nodes represent the locations they had visited.
The links between nodes, symbolised by arrows, indicate their relationship to one another.
Image: DSTA
The mapping means that contact tracers can quickly see how many cases had visited the same location or had, at some point, crossed paths with a common contact. The findings are then used by the Contract Tracing Centre to do further checks.
“With the tool, it is now easier to examine much of the available information visually and establish possible connections through location, contacts or related timings, thereby reducing the cognitive load on contact tracers,” said DSTA.
“(It) allows contact tracing efforts to focus more on data collection and subsequent verification through ground checks.”
Data for this analysis comes from the contact tracing centres, where information for the activity maps of suspected and confirmed cases is compiled. One challenge is to get complete, accurate and detailed data from all the cases, said DSTA.
DSTA has also designed other tools to facilitate contact tracing, such as helping the Singapore Armed Force’s health monitoring and contact tracing teams collaborate in real time, and extracting and fusing data automatically for contact tracing operations.
Mr Poh Chun Siong, principal systems architect in DSTA’s C3 Development Programme Centre, said: “With the increasing number of local cases, we realised that there was a need to quickly establish possible links between cases and identify potential new clusters … DSTA will continue to work closely with the SAF and MOH to further accelerate contact tracing efforts.”
It’s no secret that one of the worst-impacted groups of society during the Covid-19 outbreak is the elderly, especially the ones who live by themselves.
No longer allowed to socialise with friends and spend time outdoors during the circuit breaker period, the emotional and mental toll of staying at home 24/7 can be devastating. It’s no wonder some seniors continue to wander out and loiter in public to escape the crushing boredom of social isolation.
A new charity project intends to bring some joy to these elderly folk (and also to help them stay indoors) through the power of digital music players. In the age of music streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music on our smartphones, we’re well past the need for MP3 players and dinky portable radios — so why not donate them to those who can cherish the old-school melodies?
SINGAPORE – A man who breached a stay-home notice (SHN) and travelled out of his home to eat bak kut teh on March 23 amid the coronavirus outbreak was sentenced on Thursday (April 23) to six weeks’ jail.
Alan Tham Xiang Sheng, 34, who pleaded guilty on April 16 to an offence under the Infectious Diseases Act, was the first person to be convicted of exposing others to the risk of infection by breaching an SHN.
Tham, who runs an online sales business, arrived in Singapore from Myanmar on March 23 and was served with an SHN. As part of his notice, the Singaporean was supposed to stay home at all times from then until April 6.
Tham signed on a slip to acknowledge that he had received the SHN and to confirm that he was aware he could be prosecuted if he failed to comply with the notice.
But instead of going straight home to his Woodlands flat, he met up with his 36-year-old girlfriend at 3.40pm and the pair went to a food court at Terminal 3 of Changi Airport.
China should avoid any stop-start reopening of schools and colleges and be vigilant as the coronavirus situation eases, leading epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan told education officials.
Speaking during an online panel discussion, Zhong and other top communicable disease experts said it should be safe for students to go back to the classroom as there was a significantly lower risk of local transmission in China, though there was still a risk as it continued to spread rapidly elsewhere.
The discussion, organised by the Ministry of Education, took place on Monday but official media reported the details on Wednesday.
“China has already tamed the effective reproduction number [of the virus] to 0.2 or 0.3 – that’s very low and unlikely to cause a massive outbreak,” Zhong said. “But it’s impossible to expect that China will have no infections, and I staunchly support [the idea] that we should move on.”
Epidemiologists usually consider a reproduction number below 1 as an indicator that an outbreak could fade out. Some experts put the number in China at a range between 2.2 and 5.7 when the first cases were reported in Wuhan, Hubei province, in December.
He received a message from an Instagram account he thought was his friend’s, as the username and picture were similar.
Wanting to be known only as Mr Meng, 21, he said in an interview with the police that the “friend” said she had entered a contest organised by Grab and needed votes from her friends.
She asked Mr Meng for his phone number, and he was told to share the one-time password provided by Grab to cast as “votes”.
To his surprise, he discovered the fraudster had gained access to his GrabPay account and used $390.80 to purchase credits on a gaming website.
He called his friend to clarify the incident and realised he had been scammed.
A similar tactic was used on five other impersonation victims The New Paper contacted.
Police told TNP that reports of social media impersonation scams have been on the rise, with more than 206 reports made last month.
These scams were the fourth most common type last year, with 810 cases reported, 703 cases more than 2018.
More than $3.1 million was lost last year from these scams, including the largest case involving $330,000.
SINGAPORE: Since circuit breaker measures were implemented in Singapore on Apr 12, many more people have been working from home. Despite the time savings, some have found this arrangement a bane rather than a boon.
Telecommuting, or working from home, can lead to working longer hours remotely with little breaks and social isolation, especially when there is lack of support from bosses and organisations.
As a psychologist at the Institute of Mental Health, I’ve seen first-hand how some struggle to draw the line between work and home.
Some of my clients find themselves working more than 50 hours a week, which exceeds the 48 hour cap of the Ministry of Manpower’s Employment Act. They also work with little to no interaction with other people.
Overworking and isolation cause increased stress, which could fuel physical problems such as musculoskeletal and metabolic issues, as well as mental health problems such as loneliness and depression.
One of my clients felt compelled to work longer hours as she had many meetings and calls to attend to until the evening. The fear of having things accumulate, letting her supervisor and herself down and failing to meet deadlines made it difficult for her to stop, causing her to be exhausted and depressed.
When she reached breaking point, she turned to me for help.
That episode made me realise that while we have focused on taking care of our physical health this coronavirus outbreak, we may have neglected our mental well-being.
Many of my clients have shared how distraught they are at the loss of face-to-face interactions in their lives, since all social activities have grounded to a halt.
(Photo: Unsplash/Martin Castro)
I cannot emphasise how critical it is to stay connected during this period. Don’t just use technology for work – use it to keep in touch with friends and family, whether through voice calls, video conferencing, instant messaging or emails.
After all, we are social creatures who benefit from love, attention, support and comfort. A reduction in social connections can be disorienting, even destabilising.
Seeking your loved ones out and maintaining your relationships with them through virtual activities are some ways you can continue to bond. How about throwing an online karaoke video party?
In fact, my colleagues and I try to organise weekly lunch meetings via video calls while working from home.
If you live alone, you can join local online groups through Facebook or Instagram to interact with your neighbours. Who knows what new joys you might discover? Some people have learnt of new deals and tried new restaurants based on their neighbours’ recommendations.
This is a great way to make new friends and to support local businesses.
2. MANAGE CHANGES WITH KINDNESS
During this period of change, try to also be kind to one another.
One of my clients shared that she was required to report to her manager several times a day via video calls to give updates on her work progress. She found that immensely stressful and anxiety-inducing.
Together, we worked on communicating her needs to her manager. Thankfully, her manager understood the struggles of working remotely, had an open mind and was more flexible on deliverables, thus building mutual trust.
Understanding what your real challenges are and communicating clearly can help you and your co-workers get through work and foster a stronger relationship despite the physical distance.
For all you know, many in your team face the same challenges yet do not speak up. Do not be afraid to voice what works for you and establish boundaries that enable you to function well from home.
For supervisors, you will inevitably be concerned about staff performance but try to nurture a concern first for their well-being. Understanding where your subordinates are coming from, what constraints they face and how they can work more effectively, might inform new win-win arrangements.
Some of the happiest, most engaged teams are also the most productive.
The uncertainty of the situation has hit a number of my clients.
“How long it will last? Should I join everyone else in panic buying? Will I have enough food? Will I get the virus? Will I even have my job? Will I have enough money to survive? What will happen to my family?”
It is common to have these worries. But instead of dwelling on them, learn to accept things that aren’t within your control, and focus on the things that are: Reading news from official outlets, buying what you need, adapting to new work conditions, saving wisely and finding out what resources are available for support.
While the uncertainty may seem unsettling initially, if you learn to live with the anxiety while continuing with practices and habits that bring you meaning, these feelings will reduce with time.
4.PRACTISE SELF-CARE
Some of my clients unwilling to avoid work feel guilty for increasing the load on their colleagues or neglecting their tasks.
(Photo: Mimi Thian/ Unsplash)
An unhelpful thought that we often have is that caring for yourself and unplugging from work means you will definitely work less and leave others to pick up the slack. But life is rarely that binary.
Just think about all those airline videos that instruct people to wear their own oxygen masks before attending to others. You must take care of yourself first before helping others.
If you are unwell and overextend yourself, you will also slow down the whole team.
Instead, take this chance to care for yourself and practise social responsibility by taking a break. Once you have recuperated, you can return to action.
Having a healthy lifestyle – eating well, sleeping enough, exercising and engaging in leisure activities – is also part of self-care. Use this opportunity to focus on looking within yourself through reading or meditating.
Finding reasons to be grateful can contribute to our mental health during this period.
I am grateful for the way Singapore has handled the outbreak – with its dissemination of clear information on accessible channels, contact tracing, the efficient restocking of supermarket goods and economic measures to support households and businesses.
On a personal level, I am also thankful for the opportunity to work from home. Even though my husband and I have been together for more than a decade, I have never seen him at work.
(Photo: Unsplash/Ruthson Zimmerman)
Through this experience, I have seen a different side of him – his ability to strategise, command and be assertive. This has made me appreciate and understand him more.
Finding new ways to appreciate the people you live with will deepen your relationship and reduce conflict.
A FINAL WORD OF ADVICE
If things get tough, you can reach out and seek help. You do not need to face these concerns alone.
The recently launched National Care Hotline offers emotional support to those worried about COVID-19. It is manned by over 300 trained workers from over 50 agencies and organisations.
As telecommuting becomes the new normal, remember to care of yourself and look out for your colleagues so that you can navigate these changes with compassion and empathy.
Prioritising our mental well-being will help us make the most out of working from home.
