SINGAPORE: A 39-year-old Bangladeshi national warded here is in a very critical state, the Bangladesh High Commission confirmed on Thursday (Feb 20).

The patient, who already suffered from respiratory and kidney problems, and pneumonia before being infected with COVID-19, has been in the Intensive Care Unit for 14 days as of Thursday, the High Commission said.



His family has been informed, it added.

The High Commission also told CNA that the patient is the 42nd confirmed case of coronavirus in Singapore.



In a daily update from Singapore's Ministry of Health, the man was said to have reported onset of symptoms on Feb 1. He sought treatment at a general practitioner clinic two days later and went to Changi General Hospital (CGH) on Feb 7.

On the same day,he went for a follow-up appointment at Bedok Polyclinic and was admitted to the intensive care unit at CGH.

Test results confirmed COVID-19 infection the next day, on Feb 8, and he was transferred to the National Centre of Infectious Diseases (NCID).

The Bangladeshi national is one of five cases linked to a construction site at Seletar Aerospace Heights. The site is one of five COVID-19 clusters identified in Singapore.

Prior to hospital admission, the man had visited Mustafa Centre and stayed at The Leo dormitory on Kaki Bukit Road.

The High Commission also said that Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan called his Bangladesh counterpart AK Abdul Momen to convey the updates on this patient on Wednesday.

According to the Ministry of Health, as of Thursday, four patients are in the intensive care unit in critical condition.

In all, 37 of 85 COVID-19 patients have recovered from the infection and been discharged from hospital.

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