UPDATE (29 Apr, 1.30pm): TTSH said in an update that they won’t be accepting any visitors into all wards until further notice.
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Singapore’s Covid-19 situation seems to have been taking quite a worrying turn recently — infection clusters are forming, more cases are surfacing at workers’ dormitories, and now a nurse at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) has tested positive for the virus.
With 4 others in her ward testing preliminarily positive, the authorities have placed all who’ve stepped in there under quarantine.
Contact tracing efforts are also ongoing, to determine the root of the nurse’s infection.
In a news update on 28 Apr, the Ministry of Health (MOH) disclosed that 1 of the 3 community cases that day was a nurse from TTSH.
Case 62541, a 46-year-old Filipina, worked at Ward 9D at the hospital, which is a general ward.
After showing symptoms such as a cough, sore throat, and body aches on 27 Apr, she sought medical attention at TTSH itself.
The very same day, her swab test results came back positive, and she was warded at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID).
Whether she had reported to work that day is unclear. The nurse had received her first and second doses of the vaccine on 26 Jan and 18 Feb respectively.
MOH is awaiting her serology test results to find out if this could be a reinfection.
Contact tracing efforts are also ongoing to trace the transmission, as she currently has no links to other cases.
Perhaps a more concerning detail of this case is that 4 others in Ward 9D have tested preliminarily positive, noted MOH.
They include a doctor and 3 patients who were warded there.
Since the result is only an initial indicator, MOH is conducting further tests to confirm their possible infection.
As a precautionary measure, patients, visitors to the ward, as well as staff who’ve worked there are now under quarantine. They also have to take swab tests.
In a Facebook update yesterday (28 Apr), TTSH informed the public that Ward 9D is closed for visits till further notice.
On a wider level, the hospital will be restricting ward visits to 2 pre-registered visitors throughout a patient’s stay for the time being.
Additionally, they’ll be extending swab tests to all staff in the main hospital’s ward block.
TTSH apologised for the inconvenience, and promised to review its policy should the situation improve.
Multiple Covid-19 cases and clusters emerging after we’ve made such good progress may be a dampener on our hopes of resuming normalcy.
However, we trust that the authorities will be able to keep the situation under control.
In the meantime, we wish all patients a smooth recovery. And for the rest of us, let’s continue to adhere to safety measures.
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps.
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