Late last month, residents at Blk 506 Hougang Avenue 8 underwent compulsory Covid-19 swab tests after a number of cases were found to be staying there.
As of 23 May, 10 individuals staying at the block had tested positive — most of whom were already on quarantine.
Since then, MOH has linked more cases to the HDB block, forming a new cluster comprising 13 patients.
In order to detect possible cases quickly, residents at the block will have to undergo mandatory PCR tests over the next 2 days.
The authorities will also be conducting voluntary Covid-19 tests for residents of 7 neighbouring blocks after cases were detected there as well.
Citing MOH, Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reported that there have been several new cases at Blk 506 Hougang Avenue 8 since the testing operations last month.
On Thursday (3 Jun), MOH said in its press release that they had discovered links amongst previous cases at the HDB block.
They’ve since declared a new cluster at the block comprising 13 cases.
The Hougang Avenue 8 cluster also includes a subcluster of 4 cases which are linked to Case 63757, a 67-year-old retiree.
As such, residents and visitors of the block have to undergo a second round of compulsory testing. This would allow MOH to detect cases that may have been incubating the virus since the first round.
Shop employees who work at 7 neighbouring blocks, as well as residents, will also have to be tested.
The tests will be at the void deck of Blk 507 Hougang Avenue 8 on 4 and 5 Jun from 9am-4pm.
However, Blk 506 isn’t the only residential block of concern.
New cases have reportedly surfaced at other blocks nearby, including:
Viral fragments of the Covid-19 virus were similarly detected in wastewater samples from some of these blocks.
Hence, residents and visitors there may also wish to get tested if they want to.
Those who visited between 19 May and 3 Jun, in particular, should monitor their health. Should they feel unwell, they must seek medical attention immediately.
The potential transmission happening around the Hougang estate is truly concerning.
We hope the latest round of testing will enable the authorities to detect any ‘hidden’ cases early, and stop further transmissions.
Hopefully, residents will cooperate and head down for their swab tests over the coming days.
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps.
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