5 Covid-19 Reinfection Cases Found At Westlite Woodlands Dorm
Concerns arose when the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced that Covid-19 cases have reemerged at a Woodlands dormitory last week.
On Tuesday (27 Apr) night, MOH said that of the 24 recovered workers that tested positive at Westlite Woodlands Dormitory, 5 are likely reinfections.
Amongst the reinfections, 2 workers arrived from Bangladesh on 6 Apr. They were likely to have been infected and passed the infection to others in the dormitory room.
MOH assures that there is no evidence of transmission to the rest of the dormitory so far.
24 workers tested positive for Covid-19
After a 35-year-old construction supervisor tested positive for Covid-19 on 20 Apr, all residents at Westlite Woodlands Dormitory were tested, including recovered workers.
Image for illustration purposes
Source
According to MOH, so far, 24 workers were found to have Covid-19 and were immediately isolated.
Further investigations revealed that of these 24 cases, 11 cases were no longer infectious as they were only shedding minute fragments of the virus RNA.
5 cases were likely reinfections. 2 other cases were found negative upon re-testing and 6 other cases are still under assessment.
Covid-19 infections at Woodlands dorm likely from overseas returnees
The 5 workers who were reinfected stayed in the same room at Westlite Woodlands Dormitory.
This is the same room as the 35-year-old supervisor and his roommate who both tested positive last week.
2 of the reinfected cases had just arrived in Singapore from Bangladesh on 6 Apr.
It is likely that they were already infected prior to their arrival, reported MOH. This means they could have passed the infection to the others in the room.
There are now 7 cases linked to the supervisor and his roommate, forming a new cluster.
Despite this, MOH emphasised that there is currently no evidence of transmission to the rest of the dormitory.
1 community case on 27 Apr
Besides the dormitory cases, on Tuesday (27 Apr), a sole community case was reported.
The 42-year-old Indonesian is part of a sea crew and had not disembarked from his vessel except to get his first dose of the vaccine.
Identified as a close contact of a previous case, he has been placed on quarantine since 18 Apr, reported MOH.
He tested positive for Covid-19 after developing a cough and sore throat on 25 Apr.
Our national tally now stands at 61,063.
A salient reminder to remain vigilant
The re-emergence of Covid-19 cases at the dormitories is a salient reminder that our fight against the pandemic is far from over.
It’s important not just for authorities but every single individual to remain vigilant and adhere to safety precautions.
Only then can Singapore keep Covid-19 under control.
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