Tan Tock Seng Hospital stops admitting new patients in wake of growing Covid-19 cluster

SINGAPORE - Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) has stopped admitting new patients from Tuesday (May 4).

The hospital is fighting to contain a growing Covid-19 cluster with 35 linked patients as of Monday night.

On Monday, the Ministry of Health said that other hospitals - both public and private - would be helping to take on the load as patients are diverted from TTSH.

MOH has also asked all hospitals to defer non-urgent surgical operations and admissions, as well as non-urgent specialist outpatient clinic appointments, until further notice.

TTSH said in a Facebook post on Tuesday morning that those requiring urgent care should visit a GP or the nearest care facility.

"We seek your kind understanding that this will allow us to focus on containing this Covid-19 hospital cluster, conserve our manpower and continue supporting the pandemic response at our National Centre for Infectious Diseases during this period," it said.

The hospital added that it would continue to review its measures with the Ministry and take all necessary actions for the safety of its patients and staff.

The TTSH cluster formed last week after a nurse at the hospital's ward 9D was confirmed to have Covid-19 on April 28.

Since then, another 34 people have been added to the cluster.

One of them, an 88-year-old patient who was at ward 9D, has died.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.