New Tan Tock Seng Hospital Covid-19 cases include 5 discharged patients

SINGAPORE - Five Covid-19 patients, new additions to the Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) cluster, had already been discharged and sent home, but were later found to have the virus.

They had been placed on quarantine and tested as part of aggressive efforts to ringfence the hospital outbreak. 

To this end, TTSH has completed the swabbing of all inpatients in its main wards last Friday (April 30) and the results are all negative, the Health Ministry said on Sunday night (May 2).

The hospital will also be testing all 12,000 staff on campus. To date, it has already swabbed 7,000 staff and priority will be to swab staff working in clinical areas over the next few days.

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All patients will continue to be monitored closely for their health and well being.

Of the 14 community cases reported on Sunday, 11 of the patients have been linked to TTSH. One is linked to the cluster at the community care facility in Tuas, and another to the cluster at Changi Airport. The last case - a 37-year-old maid from India - is unlinked.

TTSH cluster

Of the 11 cases announced on Sunday, seven are patients aged between 60 and 98. One is a physiotherapist and three are people who visited Ward 9D where many of the infections happened.

- Cases 62715, 62721 and 62722 were visitors to Ward 9D between April 18 and April 28. They were placed on quarantine and tested positive for the virus during quarantine. 

Case 62715 visited a family member admitted to the ward. The other two visitors are family members of a TTSH nurse who was confirmed to be infected on April 27.

- Case 62731 is a 27-year-old Malaysian working as a physiotherapist at Ward 9D. On April 29, she was placed on quarantine and tested for Covid-19 on April 30. She developed a runny nose on the same day and reported her symptom on Saturday. Her test result came back positive on Saturday.

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Community care facility at Tuas South cluster

- Case 62760 is a 53-year-old Malaysian hairstylist at Me To Do Studio. She is a household contact of Cases 62629 and 62638 - a 41-year-old Malaysian sales assistant at New Odense(s) Confectionery & Bakery, and a 26-year-old PR who works as a cleaner at a community care facility at Tuas South.

She was placed on quarantine on April 29 and taken to a dedicated facility the next day. On Saturday, she developed a sore throat and was tested for Covid-19. Her test result came back positive the next day. Her serology test result is negative.

Changi Airport cluster

- Case 62757 is a 32-year-old Singaporean Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer deployed at the Home Team Academy. He was last at work on April 26. He was placed on quarantine the next day. He was tested for Covid-19 during quarantine and his result was negative. On Saturday, he was tested again and this time, his result came back positive.

His serology test result is pending. He received his first dose of Covid-19 vaccine on Jan 27, and the second dose on Feb 17.

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