MOM Said Recovered Migrant Workers Who Tested Positive for COVID-19 Might Not Be Reinfections

When someone tests positive for the coronavirus after recovering from the disease, you’d assume it was a case of reinfection. After all, re-infection means you’re getting infected from a virus that you previously recovered from.

However, there’s another reason why someone might test positive after recovering from a virus.

MOM Said Recovered Migrant Workers Who Tested Positive for COVID-19 Might Not Be Reinfections

The growing cluster of infections at Westlite Woodlands Dormitory has worried some because of the potential of spread, but it may not be as bad as you think.

Thousands of workers in dormitories and worksites were tested recently after 24 workers at the Westlite Woodlands dormitory who had recovered from COVID-19 tested positive again.

According to Dr Lam Meng Chon, medical director for the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) Assurance, Care, and Engagement Group, there are two reasons why recovered individuals may test positive for COVID-19:

1. They are a prolonged shedder of the virus and not infectious
2. They have been re-infected, meaning they’ve been infected with a different COVID-19 strain

Of the 24 recovered workers at Westlite Woodlands Dormitory who tested positive again, only 5 were confirmed as cases of reinfections.

11 were assessed to be shedding virus fragments, while two had negative results on subsequent tests. The remaining six cases are pending assessment by an expert panel.

While reinfections can pass the virus on to others, prolonged shedders are shedding dead viral fragments, which are not transmissible, Dr Lam said.

“In this case, it is not a cluster but an old infection. So there is no need to panic, but to actually be patient and allow the clinical assessment to take place.”

It typically takes around two days to assess if a person has been re-infected, but in some cases, it can take up to two weeks.

Over 5,550 Workers Tested After Detection of Cluster

Following the detection of the cluster at Westlite Woodlands Dormitory, the authorities carried out a pre-emptive testing operation across various dorms and worksites.

From 23 Apr to 26 Apr, more than 5,500 workers have been tested.

Many of the workers tested had recovered from the disease more than 270 days ago, as the authorities aim to combat the risk of waning immunity and new variants.

MOM said it expects “a proportion” of those tested to return a positive result.

Workers have been advised to cease social interactions with others who do not stay in the same room or floor, and movement between dormitory blocks continues to be disallowed.

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