2 More S’pore Nursing Homes Declared Covid-19 Clusters, Most Cases Involve Residents

Orange Valley & Jamiyah Nursing Homes Declared Covid-19 Clusters On 15 Sep

As Singapore continues to report new Covid-19 cases in the hundreds, it’s inevitable that more seniors are becoming part of the statistics. But a more concerning trend would be the cases at nursing homes, which seem to be on the rise too.

Just yesterday (15 Sep), the Ministry of Health (MOH) declared 2 new clusters at nursing homes here.

While some involve staff working there, the majority are residents at the homes.

2 more nursing homes declared Covid-19 infection clusters

On Wednesday (15 Sep), MOH added 2 nursing homes to the list of active clusters under close monitoring:

• Orange Valley Nursing Home (Simei) – 13 cases, all are residents
• Jamiyah Nursing Home – 13 cases, 10 are residents & 3 are staff

Across both homes, residents and staff on the affected levels have been tested. Everyone else will undergo testing soon.

In a Facebook post, Orange Valley Nursing Homes shared that they detected the first case at their Simei branch on 7 Sep.

Source

The resident had come down with fever and drowsiness earlier that day, so staff sent them to Changi General Hospital. The resident is currently receiving treatment there.

All close contacts are now in isolation and the home has thoroughly cleaned and disinfected its premises. Orange Valley will also be suspending in-person visits till 11 Oct for the well-being of their residents and staff.

Orange Valley and Jamiyah join the existing clusters at 2 other nursing homes, namely:

• Ren Ci @ Bukit Batok Street 52 – 32 cases, 23 are residents & 9 are staff
• All Saints Home (Jurong East) – 12 cases, 10 are residents & 2 are staff

Evidently from the numbers, most of the cases at nursing homes currently comprise residents there.

Seniors make up significant portion of new cases

In tandem with the rise in daily case numbers, cases involving seniors above 60 have been increasing too.

Of the 804 local cases yesterday (15 Sep), 238 were seniors above the age of 60, which makes for nearly 30%.

Source

This is higher than even the previous day (14 Sep), which had 231 senior cases out of a much higher total of 833 local cases.

Remind elderly family members to get booster shots

As Singapore begins rolling out booster vaccine shots to elderly citizens first, family members should ensure that their loved ones who have received invitations go for their appointments soon.

With new viral variants around, we’ll all need that extra protection.

Even with their vaccinations, try to advise the elderly to stay home for now, while the situation seems rather volatile. It’s best to keep them safe first, so they can hopefully catch up with friends and relatives again when things get better.

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Featured image adapted from Google Maps and Google Maps.