Myanmar maid who is Singapore’s new COVID-19 community infection was close contact of a previous case

SINGAPORE: A Myanmar maid who is Singapore's sole new COVID-19 case in the community tested positive for the coronavirus nearly five months after arriving in the country. 

A previous test taken in November while she was serving stay-home notice was negative. She tested positive on Apr 4, after starting work at her employer's home. 

Giving details of her case on Wednesday (Apr 7), the Ministry of Health (MOH) said that the 40-year-old Myanmar national arrived in Singapore on Nov 13 and served her stay-home notice at a dedicated facility.

During her notice period, she was identified as a close contact of a COVID-19 case - a 29-year-old Myanmar national who was on the same flight as her. 

The 29-year-old woman was confirmed to have the infection on Nov 23. 

As a result, the 40-year-old Myanmar maid was placed on quarantine from Nov 24 to 27.

She started work at her employer's home on Nov 27.

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MOH said the foreign domestic worker developed a headache on Apr 2 and shortness of breath on Apr 4.

She was tested for COVID-19 on Apr 4 and the result came back positive on the same day. She was warded at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.

Another test conducted by the National Public Health Laboratory on Apr 5 was negative for COVID-19 infection.

Her serological test result has come back positive, which indicates a past infection.

According to MOH, she could be "shedding minute fragments of the virus RNA, which are no longer transmissible and infective to others".

But given that authorities are not able to definitively conclude when she had been infected, all the necessary public health actions will be taken as a precautionary measure, said the ministry.

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The Myanmar maid was among 35 new COVID-19 infections reported on Wednesday.

Two public places were also added to MOH's list of locations visited by COVID-19 cases during their infectious period - Prime Supermarket at 373 Bukit Batok Street 31 and Bukit Gombak Wet Market.

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