News

607 COVID Cases Reported on 13 Sep; New Cluster at Ren Ci Nursing Home in Bukit Batok with 28 Cases

2021-09-14 , 9:20 am

After two consecutive days of dips in COVID-19 cases, our daily case count has risen once again, supporting the authorities’ prediction that we could soon have 1,000 new cases a day.

The recently announced suspension of all in-person visits to residential care homes couldn’t have come at a better time too, as a new cluster has formed in a nursing home.

Missed all the updates from yesterday’s report from the Ministry of Health (MOH)? Here’s everything you need to know:

607 COVID-19 Cases Reported Yesterday (13 Sep), Including 534 From the Community

597 locally transmitted cases were reported yesterday, of whom 534 were from the community. The remaining 63 infections were from migrant workers’ dormitories.

Of the community cases, 157 were seniors above the age of 60.

In addition, ten imported cases were recorded; four were detected upon arrival while the remaining six developed the illness during their quarantine.

In total, 607 cases were detected yesterday.

Two New Clusters Including One at Ren Ci Nursing Home

A new cluster was also identified at Ren Ci nursing home, located in Bukit Batok. It currently has 28 cases.

In a media statement, Ren Ci Hospital said that three staff members from the same ward had experienced respiratory symptoms on Sunday (12 Sep) and immediately sought medical attention.

Their antigen rapid test results came back positive, and the affected ward was locked down.

Subsequent testing of all nursing home residents and colleagues from the affected zone revealed that eight staff members (including the three who sought medical attention) were infected with COVID-19, along with 20 residents of the home.

“All other staff and residents located on the affected levels have been tested, and the results so far are negative,” MOH said.

“The other residents and staff of the nursing home will also be tested.”

Fortunately, 95% of residents and all staff members have been vaccinated. Of those who are infected, only one has not been inoculated.

The nursing home will be increasing its cleaning frequency and has already been deep cleaned and disinfected.

The suspension of in-person visits to residential care homes kicked in yesterday, meaning no one can visit the nursing home.

Ren Ci Hospital said it will help its residents communicate with their loved ones through phone and video calls.

The other cluster, at Avery Lodge Dormitory, now has a total of 58 cases. Residents of the dormitory have been placed on a movement restriction order.

Bus Interchange Clusters Continue To Grow

In total, MOH is monitoring 16 active clusters, including the ones linked to staff working at bus interchanges.

Yesterday, seven of the eight bus interchange clusters had more cases linked to them. They are:

Toa Payoh Bus Interchange staff – six new cases, 220 in total
Tampines Bus Interchange staff – six new cases, 79 in total
Boon Lay Bus Interchange staff – seven new cases, 200 in total
Bishan Bus Interchange staff – one new case, 40 in total
Jurong East Bus Interchange staff – one new case, 49 in total
Clementi Bus Interchange staff – one new case, 63 in total
Punggol Bus Interchange staff – three new cases, 51 in total

As the ministry previously said, there’s no evidence of spread to commuters as of yet.

774 Cases in Hospital; 8 in ICU

At present, there are 774 COVID-19 cases warded in hospital, most of whom are well and under observation.

57 severe cases require oxygen supplementation, and eight are in critical condition in the
intensive care unit.

Of these 65 cases, 51 are seniors above the age of 60.

Our vaccination progress remains at 81%. 84% have received at least one dose.

Learn the importance of vaccination here: