SINGAPORE – A 34-year-old Malaysian man is a new Covid-19 case linked to the Marina Bay Sands Casino dealer cluster, testing preliminarily positive for the B1617 variant, said the republic’s Health Ministry.
In its full data released last night, the ministry said the patient is unemployed and a household contact of the index case, a 36-year-old Malaysian man who works as a dealer at Marina Bay Sands Casino, and was confirmed infected on May 16.
“He developed a fever and cough on May 12, and sought medical treatment at a clinic on May 15. He tested positive on the antigen rapid test. He was immediately isolated, and a polymerase chain reaction test conducted on him the same day.
“The test returned positive for Covid-19 on May 16. His serology test result is pending. He has tested preliminarily positive for the B1617 variant, pending further confirmation tests.”
The cluster has a total of three cases, with the third being a 35-year-old Singaporean man, who is also a dealer at the casino.
Singapore stepped up health safety measures beginning May 16. The republic has recorded a total of 61,613 coronavirus infections.
Of its 16 clusters, the largest is linked to Changi airport’s Terminal 3, which has 78 cases. – Bernama, May 18, 2021