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Active testing for all nursing home residents, who make up 4 in 20 Covid-19 deaths

SINGAPORE — The Government will actively conduct coronavirus testing for all 16,000 nursing home residents as an “important strategy to detect Covid-19 infections among our vulnerable groups”, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said on Friday (May 8).

Although the country has not detected any widespread Covid-19 infection at nursing homes here, four of 20 coronavirus-related deaths in Singapore so far are nursing home residents.

Although the country has not detected any widespread Covid-19 infection at nursing homes here, four of 20 coronavirus-related deaths in Singapore so far are nursing home residents.

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SINGAPORE — The Government will actively conduct coronavirus testing for all 16,000 nursing home residents as an “important strategy to detect Covid-19 infections among our vulnerable groups”, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said on Friday (May 8).

And with such extensive testing in progress, the Government expects more cases to be found within nursing homes, said Mr Gan, who was speaking at a press conference as co-chair of a multi-ministry task force handling the Covid-19 response in Singapore.

Although the country has not detected any widespread Covid-19 infection at nursing homes here, four of 20 coronavirus-related deaths in Singapore so far are nursing home residents.

Extensive testing, in fact, commenced among all 9,000 staff of the 80 nursing homes on April 29, leading to a discovery on Thursday (May 7) that one staff working at Ren Ci @ Ang Mo Kio is a Covid-19 carrier, Mr Gan pointed out.

The testing of all staff has been completed — showing up only the single case at Ren Ci — and it has been extended to the residents. More than 30 residents who could have been in contact with the staff, as well as those with acute respiratory symptoms, were since tested, but all returns so far have been negative, he added.

On top of this focus on nursing homes, Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee said some 3,250 residents and 1,300 staff at the 34 Government-funded welfare homes, sheltered homes and adult disability homes were tested as well, and the outcomes so far are negative.

Beyond implementing active testing, both Mr Gan and Mr Lee announced that the Government will now require resident-facing staff of these care homes to stay at designated accommodation facilities at their workplace or at hotels during the circuit breaker period.

About 3,000 staff members — 2,600 from nursing homes and 400 from welfare, sheltered and adult disability homes — are, therefore, in the process of moving into hotels.

Mr Gan did not state how many nursing home staff will be living on-site, but Mr Lee said about 700 staff of the Government-funded welfare, sheltered and adult disability homes will be staying where they work.

This measure was to “minimise their community social interaction and reduce the risk posed to our care staff, therefore reduce the risk to residential homes”, said Mr Lee, adding that the move started on May 4 and will complete on May 11.

Elaborating on the new testing strategy, MOH said in a press release issued shortly after the press conference that its approach does not only comprise a “one-time test”.

It said that all staff and residents will be tested periodically while those who show symptoms of acute respiratory infection will be immediately tested.

And where there is a positive case, MOH, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) will support the homes to thoroughly disinfect affected areas, conduct contact tracing and quarantine close contacts, it added.

“All homes affected thus far have been able to continue their operations, with the support from healthcare workers from community care providers and public healthcare institutions,” the MOH said, as it reiterated that active contact tracing and testing of close contacts there so far found no further evidence of transmission within the residential care home environment.

Globally, at least 80 per cent of all Covid-19 deaths are seniors aged 60 and above. In Singapore, 412 confirmed cases are aged 60 and above, and 95 per cent of all deaths recorded here thus far are seniors.

SUPPORT FOR SENIORS LIVING AT HOME

TODAY’s Big Read published last Saturday explored how seniors in Singapore are struggling with a sense of displacement during the circuit breaker period, leading to some making their way onto the streets.

On Friday, MOH said the AIC’s Silver Generation Office (SGO) — which typically engages seniors at least once every 18 months — has been proactively checking in with about 20,000 seniors who have weak family support via weekly telephone calls.

Where necessary, the seniors are being referred to relevant support services, including befriending services to those who need a listening ear, it added.

“We also want to take good care of our seniors in the community, and give them a helping hand during this circuit breaker period," said Mr Gan. "Safe distancing does not mean social isolation for our seniors.”

Mr Lee noted that seniors who were engaged via the phone calls were "receptive", with some 1,200 of them requesting to be helped by way of meal deliveries, financial assistance and befriending services.

Meanwhile, Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs the multi-ministry task force with Mr Gan, appealed to those living with elderly persons to encourage them not to go out and try to run errands on their behalf.

For those not living with their parents or grandparents, Mr Wong urged them to still stay in touch with the seniors remotely by giving them a call. “Physical separation doesn’t mean that they have to be emotionally isolated,” he also said.

As it is Mother’s Day this Sunday, Mr Wong said: “Remember to call your mother, grandmother, and use this opportunity to be in touch with them. Don’t visit them — that would be an activity we don’t want to encourage...

“But do call them, check on them regularly, continue to show our appreciation to our seniors. We all know that during this circuit breaker period, many of them do feel isolated because they are away from their children and grandchildren.”

Asked if the Government would consider asking seniors to stay home for longer, past the circuit breaker end point on June 1, while their younger counterparts are allowed to return to work, Mr Wong said the idea might not be as feasible in the Singapore context.

“The challenge in the Singapore context, and in fact in many Asian contexts, is that we tend to have many multi-generational families living together with their parents and even their grandparents,” he said.

“So this idea that you allow the young to go out to work and still protect the elderly falls apart because the young will be out and about, but they will still go back and interact with your parents and grandparents at home.”

Related topics

nursing homes Covid-19 coronavirus Gan Kim Yong Lawrence Wong

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