Community Cases Reported on 28 Apr Includes a Nurse & an ICA Officer Working in the Airport

By
Shawn Ambrose
-

Just like the “Hwa Chong Lady”, the coronavirus has been roaming around Singapore and lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce on unsuspecting victims.

Now, the virus has turned up at a place where you absolutely do not want an outbreak: a hospital.

Nurse in Tan Tock Seng Among Community Cases

23 new COVID-19 cases were reported yesterday (28 Apr), of whom 3 were cases from the community.

No infections in migrant workers’ dormitories were reported.

Among the three community cases is a nurse deployed at a general ward in Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

She previously received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine but tested positive for the coronavirus on 27 Apr.

She was then warded at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases.

Tan Tock Seng Hospital has locked down the affected Ward 9D –  where the nurse was working – and tested the patients and staff members who were in the ward.

So far, a doctor and three patients have tested preliminarily positive for COVID-19.

ICA Officer Working in the Airport Tests Positive

The second community case was an Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer working at Changi Airport Terminal 1.

The 38-year-old developed a cough on 23 Apr and sought medical treatment the next day at a clinic where he was given two days of medical leave.

Three days later, the man developed a fever, anosmia (the loss of the sense of smell), and body aches.

He sought treatment at Tan Tock Seng Hospital the next day and tested positive for COVID-19.

Interestingly, all his previous tests from rostered routine testing, the last of which was on 22 Apr, came back negative.

This is why it’s so important to see a doctor the moment you’re ill.

Fortunately, the man had not gone to work after developing these symptoms.

Construction Project Manager Tests Positive Before Heading to Nepal

The last case in the community is a 58-year-old Singaporean man who works as a construction project manager in Nepal.

The man was in Nepal last year from 13 Feb to 13 Dec, after which he returned to Singapore and served a stay-home notice. His COVID-19 test taken on 23 Dec came back negative.

Even though he was asymptomatic, the man tested positive for a pre-departure test on 26 Apr before heading to Nepal.

The Ministry of Health said the man’s s Ct value is “very high”, meaning he has a low viral load.

This means he could be shedding minute fragments of the virus from a past infection which are no longer transmissible. Nevertheless, the authorities are taking the necessary precautions just in case.

All three community cases are currently unlinked.

The number of new community cases has increased from nine in the week before to 13 in the past week.

The number of unlinked cases in the community has also risen from five in the week before to six in the past week.

The remaining 20 cases were from abroad. They had all been placed on stay-home notice or isolated upon arrival in Singapore.

New Cluster Reported

In addition to the three community cases, a new cluster was reported yesterday.

Two confirmed cases have been linked to a previously reported infection – Case 62049 – a 79-year-old Indian national who had arrived from India to visit his son, a Singapore permanent resident.

The man tested positive for COVID-19 on 16 Apr.

His wife was placed on quarantine in a government quarantine facility, and their son requested to look after his mother in the facility.

The wife earlier tested negative several times, but both she and her son eventually tested positive for COVID-19 as well.

Featured Image: kandl stock / Shutterstock.com

Watch this for a complete summary of what REALLY happened to Qoo10, and why it's like a K-drama:

Read Also:

Advertisements
 
Shawn Ambrose
Email: [email protected]