The very reason why some visitors from abroad are obliged to serve stay-home notices (SHNs) at dedicated facilities is to prevent them from potentially spreading the coronavirus to the community.
Guests are isolated in hotel rooms for two weeks and usually tested during their stay before they can mingle with the public.
And as you know, they are not allowed to leave their rooms at any time (even to eat Bak Kut Teh) and will not be granted access to any of the hotel’s facilities.
In spite of these strict measures, 13 guests may have been infected during their SHN at the Mandarin Orchard Singapore.
The 13 imported cases were observed to have high genetic similarity despite having arrived from 10 different countries without any interaction during their SHN.
So, how is this possible?
Hotel Staff or Objects Could Have Formed Transmission Chain
Speaking to ST, Associate Professor Hsu Liyang of the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health said a single source for transmission is unlikely.
This is because the 13 guests had served their SHN between 22 Oct and 11 Nov, and were only confirmed to be infected between 2 and 19 Nov.
The infectious diseases expert speculated that if the guests did not encounter each other during their stay, hotel staff or fomites (objects likely to carry infection) may have formed the transmission chain.
Such fomites could include things like towels and bedsheets, but it depends on how they were distributed after cleaning, he said.
Another expert conjectured that ventilation and sewage may also need to be examined as possible sources of transmission.
But given the way the disease spreads, “a human factor is more likely” to be the cause of the transmission, he added.
High Genetic Similarity
But how do we know that all 13 guests contracted the virus from the same source?
Well, there’s one big genetic clue.
According to ST, Singapore frequently conducts genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the virus from all confirmed cases.
This tracks the family tree of the virus, and allows the authorities to determine if the transmission occurred locally or abroad.
Since they were found to be infected by coronavirus strains that have “high genetic similarity”, it’s probable the infections came from one source.
This means that the transmissions could have occurred at Mandarin Orchard Singapore.
This is why all the hotel’s guests have since been checked out of the Mandarin Orchard, and around 500 staff are being tested for Covid-19.
The Ministry of Health is advising all guests who stayed at the hotel since 11 Nov to monitor their health closely for 14 days from their last date of stay.
If they develop any Covid-19 symptoms, such as a cough, sore throat, runny nose, fever, and loss of taste or smell, they should see a doctor.
Featured Image: sirastock / Shutterstock.com
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