Tan Tock Seng Hospital has placed another ward on lockdown after confirming coronavirus infections among patients and more staff, including a vaccinated doctor.
The Health Ministry said last night that the hospital was locking down Ward 7D, where a 57-year-old infected patient was warded. Other recent cases linked to the hospital include a 30-year-old doctor who fell ill after tending to patients in the first ward to be locked down, along with a teenage healthcare assistant trainee and five other patients. They were among 16 locally transmitted cases reported yesterday.
“[Tan Tock Seng Hospital] has locked down both Ward 7D and Ward 9D. Testing for staff and patients who have been in both wards is still in progress. All close contacts of the cases, including patients, visitors and staff who have been in the affected wards, will also be placed on quarantine,” the ministry said.
The doctor, much like one of its nurses who took ill, completed his vaccination in February. All told, nine cases have emerged in recent days at the hospital.
All patients and staff will be tested for COVID-19 and movement between wards have been limited. Close contacts will be quarantined, it added.
The batch of cases at Tan Tock Seng Hospital was discovered after the vaccinated nurse was confirmed to be infected on Wednesday. The hospital announced yesterday that it was barring visitors until further notice.
A related cluster of infections has also been discovered involving a family which had gathered this past weekend after one of them, an immigration officer at Changi Airport, tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. One of them works at the hospital.
Thirty-two of the man’s colleagues at the airport have been quarantined while 100 others will be tested, the Immigrations and Checkpoints Authority announced last night.
Infected family members include a 3-year-old child, the unidentified man’s 72-year-old father, and his wife, who is a nurse at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
But health officials don’t think that nurse’s infection is related to the hospital outbreak.
“Based on our epidemiological investigation, there is no link between Case 62583 and the [hospital] cluster. However, the testing of all staff in [hospital] wards will serve as an additional check on this,” the ministry said.
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