Changi & Ng Teng Fong General Hospital Each Have 1 Staff Testing Positive For Covid-19
At the moment, Singapore’s largest Covid-19 community cluster is the TTSH cluster with over 43 cases reported.
The emergence of the cluster has demonstrated just how serious things can get when there’s a hospital outbreak.
On Tuesday (11 May) night, the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced that a staff member at Changi General Hospital (CGH) and another at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH) tested positive for Covid-19.
Now, both hospitals are enforcing strict precautions to contain the infection.
NTFGH technician tests positive on 10 May
According to MOH, a 42-year-old operating theatre technician at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital returned to Singapore from Malaysia on 10 Jan.
He tested negative for Covid-19 during his Stay-Home Notice (SHN). However, on 21 Apr he developed a cough which later worsened.
He sought medical treatment at the hospital’s staff clinic on 10 May. That was when he tested positive for Covid-19.
CGH housekeeper on quarantine gets Covid-19
At CGH, a 43-year-old employed by EM Services Pte Ltd as a housekeeper and deployed to the hospital tested positive.
She was a close contact of a Covid-19 case from the Changi Airport cluster and had been placed on quarantine since 8 May.
The 43-year-old developed a cough the very next day and tested positive on 10 May.
She is fully vaccinated, having received her 2nd dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on 10 Feb.
Changi & Ng Teng Fong hospitals increase precautions
On Wednesday (12 May), CGH shared on Facebook that the staff had no direct interaction with the hospital’s patients.
They assured that she adhered to precautionary measures when performing housekeeping duties such as wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
On the same day, JurongHealth Campus, which NTFGH belongs to, shared on Facebook that the staff is now warded in an isolation room at the hospital.
Although he is only shedding minute fragments of the virus and is no longer infective to others, the hospital is not taking chances.
The people he lives with have undergone the swab test.
NTFGH is also taking precautions and disinfecting all areas the staff was in contact with.
The hospital added that they will continue to support the staff as well as enforce strict precautionary measures and protocols to keep all patients, visitors, and staff safe.
Swab tests and contact tracing underway
Meanwhile, CGH says they are now conducting contact tracing and swab tests.
They are also disinfecting all affected areas to mitigate risks of potential spread of the infection.
Concluding their post, CGH added that they will remain on heightened vigilance to keep patients, their families, and staff safe.
Singapore is at a pivotal point
While it is concerning that cases are emerging at hospitals, we are glad that they are doing their best to contain the spread of the infections.
After all, Singapore is now at a pivotal point in our fight against Covid-19.
The responsibility lies in each of us taking necessary precautions to protect ourselves and those around us.
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