SINGAPORE - Singapore's 42nd Covid-19 patient, a 39-year-old Bangladeshi construction worker, has been transferred to a general ward after being in intensive care for over two months.

The Migrant Workers' Centre (MWC) said in a Facebook post on Thursday (April 16) that the man has been taken off the ventilator and is no longer sedated.

"He is able to breathe on his own and will require speech therapy moving forward as part of his recovery process," the non-government organisation said.

The man had first reported symptoms on Feb 1 and was warded at Changi General Hospital (CGH) on Feb 7. He tested positive the next day.

Along with four other Bangladeshi men, Case 42 was among the first foreign workers in Singapore to test positive for the coronavirus. They were linked to a cluster in Seletar Aerospace Heights where they were working to expand aerospace manufacturer Bombardier Aviation's facilities.

By March 7, the other four workers had all recovered and been discharged.

Case 42 has spent the second-longest period of time in the hospital aside from a 64-year-old Singaporean man who was warded one day earlier.

Since his admission, he had remained in critical condition in the intensive care unit (ICU) due to complications from Covid-19.

He remained in the ICU even after he was cleared of the virus and was transferred out of CGH to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases in late March.

The Bangladesh High Commission had earlier said that the worker suffered from respiratory and kidney problems, as well as pneumonia, before he was infected with the virus.

While he was unconscious, his wife back home gave birth to a baby boy on March 30.

The MWC said in its post on Thursday that it has tracked the man's case closely and grown close to both the worker's family and his employer.

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"We have spoken with the family and the employer regarding this very encouraging and happy development and can report that all concerned are overjoyed.

"On behalf of the family and the employer the MWC would like to thank all well-wishers and benefactors for their prayers and contributions during the worker's time in hospital.

"In particular, we are inspired by Case #42's fighting spirit throughout this lengthy ordeal and thank him for prevailing and getting better."