3 Of the New Cases from TTSH Cluster Reported on 4 May Were Visitors to the Hospital

Ever since the coronavirus appeared out of nowhere and changed life forever, it has taken us on an emotional roller coaster.

At best, it can feel like we’ve defeated the virus, like life will finally return to normal, where toilet paper will just be toilet paper.

But this period is often followed by a trough, where COVID-19 returns with a vengeance, and everything that comes out of a news reporter’s mouth is bad news.

Unfortunately, we seems to be in such a trough at the moment, as community infections continue to go up.

3 Of the New Cases from TTSH Cluster Reported on 4 May Were Visitors to the Hospital

17 new COVID-19 infections were reported yesterday (4 May), of whom five were from the community. 

No prizes for guessing that all five community cases were linked to the Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) cluster. They comprise three visitors to Ward 9D, a pharmacist, and a patient.

The first visitor is a 53-year-old Singaporean woman who visited Ward 9D multiple times between 18 April and 28 April.

She was contacted by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and told to self-isolate before being placed on quarantine on 30 April.

She exhibited no symptoms but tested positive for COVID-19 on 3 May. She received her first dose of COVID-19 vaccine on 17 April.

The second visitor is a 45-year-old Philippine woman who went to Ward 9D on 25 April.

She too was placed on quarantine on 30 April and developed a runny nose, sore throat, and fever on 2 May.

She reported her symptoms and was swabbed on the same day. She was confirmed to be carrying the virus the next day.

The third visitor is a 39-year-old Indonesian woman who visited Ward 9D on 21 and 22 April.

She was placed on quarantine at a dedicated facility on 30 April and developed a sore throat and fever on 3 May.

She reported her symptoms and tested positive for COVID-19 on the same day.

MOH said that all three visitors’ infections were detected through proactive case-finding.

One Employee & a Patient Also Added to TTSH Cluster

The only TTSH employee among the five new community cases is a 25-year-old pharmacist who had interacted with patients and staff members at Ward 9D on 20 April.

The Singaporean man developed a mild runny nose on 30 April which resolved on the same day, and was tested for COVID-19 on 1 May.

His infection was confirmed on 3 May, the same day he was placed on quarantine. The 25-year-old had last been to work on 28 April.

He had already completed his vaccination regimen, having received his first dose on 25 February and second on 18 March.

The last community case is a patient who had been warded in Ward 9D on 26 April.

He was transferred to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) on 27 April and tested negative for COVID-19 on 28 and 30 April.

He was then tested a third time on 3 May, a day after he developed a cough and fever. This time, the result came back positive.

Besides the five community cases, 12 imported infections were also reported yesterday.

5 People in TTSH Cluster Carrying Indian Variant

The COVID-19 multi-ministry task force recently dropped the bombshell that five people in the TTSH cluster are carrying the B.1.617.2 COVID-19 variant, also known as the Indian strain.

They comprise four patients and a doctor.

In addition, two people linked to the Changi Airport cluster have also been found to be carrying the B.1.617.2 variant.

In response to the growing infections, the authorities have tightened COVID-19 restrictions as of yesterday (4 May), including limiting social gatherings and household visitors to a maximum of five starting this Saturday (8 May).

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