The Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in Yishun is the next medical institution to announce that it will be setting up makeshift holding areas for its growing number of patients as COVID-19 infections hit a new record in Singapore.
A day after reporting a new daily high of 1,504 COVID-19 infections within the community, the hospital said that it has extended holding areas on the ground floor in order to accommodate more patients requiring urgent care.
“The last two weeks have been particularly challenging for us as we saw increasing numbers of patients coming to our A&E,” a post on the hospital’s page said. “This aims to provide a conducive, comfortable, and safe setting for COVID-19 patients who require medical care while awaiting transfer to a community care or treatment facility.”
The infection rate in Singapore is returning to the same levels from a year ago when the city-state entered its circuit breaker partial lockdown. For a city that has rarely seen deaths linked to the coronavirus, a handful of people have been dying of COVID-19 in the past week. Eight people were reported dead this week alone, bringing the total death toll to 70.
The Ministry of Health yesterday reported that over 1,120 cases are currently warded in hospitals, with 23 in critical condition. Visitors have been banned from hospitals for a month.
Tan Tock Seng Hospital also began creating more space for COVID-19 services this week, including repurposing a part of its carpark near the emergency department.
Singapore has recorded 82,856 cases since the start of the outbreak.
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