New Covid-19 cluster forms after 2 household contacts of cleaner at care facility infected

• Two household contacts of a cleaner tested positive for Covid-19
• They now form a new community cluster
• Two relatives of an NUS senior research fellow were infected 
• Four community cases were linked to the Tan Tock Seng Hospital cluster, bringing the total number of cases there to 13
• One unlinked community case is a student at Yale-NUS College

SINGAPORE — A new Covid-19 cluster in the community has emerged after two more people linked to a cleaner were infected.

The cleaner, a 39-year-old Vietnamese woman, had been deployed to work at a community care facility at Tuas South, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said previously.

In its update on the coronavirus situation in Singapore, MOH said on Friday (April 30) that the two new cases include the cleaner’s household contacts — one of whom also works at the care facility.

She is a 26-year-old permanent resident employed by Exceltec Property Management.

At work, the woman wears a full personal protection equipment, including N95 mask, face shield, gown and gloves, MOH said.

The woman developed a cough and sore throat on April 28. She was contacted by the ministry that day, was placed on quarantine and tested for Covid-19.

She was confirmed to be infected the next day and taken by an ambulance to Alexandra Hospital. Her serology test result for past infection was negative.

The second household contact is a 41-year-old Malaysian man who works as a sales assistant at New Odense (S) Confectionery and Bakery at Woodlands North Plaza.

The man had developed a fever and cough on April 28 and was tested for Covid-19 when he sought treatment at a general practitioner that day. He was contacted by MOH that same day and placed on quarantine.

He then reported his symptoms and was taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

“His test result came back positive for Covid-19 on April 29. His serology test result is negative,” MOH said.

MORE CASES LINKED TO SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW 

MOH said that the sister-in-law of a senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore (NUS) as well as her four-year-old daughter tested positive for Covid-19.  

The sister-in-law, a 33-year-old Indian national, had been placed on quarantine on April 15. She and her daughter were tested for the coronavirus during quarantine on April 16 and both their tests were negative, MOH said.

However, the two developed acute respiratory infection symptoms on April 28, and were tested again after reporting their symptoms.

“This time, their test results came back positive on April 29 and they were conveyed to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital,” MOH said.

MORE CASES LINKED TO TTSH CLUSTER

Four of the community cases on Friday are linked to the cluster at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), bringing the total number of cases there to 13.  

The four were detected from the ministry’s testing of patients and workers at the hospital.

They were:

1. A 41-year-old China national who works as a cleaner at ISS Facility Services and who was deployed to work at Ward 9D.

The woman was fully vaccinated, having received her first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on Jan 27 and the second on Feb 22.

She did not have any symptoms and was detected on April 29.

2. A 36-year-old Singaporean man who works as a doctor at the National Neuroscience Institute.

The man had been vaccinated on Jan 21 and Feb 24. He did not have any symptoms and was detected on April 29.

3. A 65-year-old Singaporean woman who is a patient at TTSH and has been in Ward 9C since April 19.

She was detected as part of TTSH’s proactive testing of patients on April 29 and confirmed to be infected the same day.

“As a precautionary measure, TTSH locked down Ward 9C, and tested all staff and patients who had been in the ward. All other patients in Ward 9C have tested negative for Covid-19. Results for staff are pending,” the ministry said.

4. A 77-year-old Singaporean woman who was admitted to Ward 9D on April 22.

MOH said that the woman had tested negative for the virus on April 26 while warded.

She was then discharged to the United Medicare Centre (Toa Payoh) Nursing Home on April 27.

The next day, she identified as a patient of Ward 9D and was isolated and tested. Her test came back positive for Covid-19 the same day.

MOH said that TTSH has stopped all patient transfers to intermediate and long-term care facilities until swabs for patients and staff members in lockdown wards are completed and cleared.

The ministry has also reminded long-term care facilities to be vigilant and closely monitor patients who had been transferred from TTSH from April 18 onwards. 

This includes the isolation or segregation of these transferred patients from the rest of the residents where possible and close monitoring of their health condition, it said.

ONE CASE WITH NO LINKS

One case in the community with no known links to confirmed cases is a student at Yale-NUS.  

The 20-year-old India national had last been in India from March 21 last year to Jan 20, and was a close contact of two confirmed cases there.

He resides at the Yale-NUS College campus and last attended classes on April 12.

The student developed a fever, sore throat and body aches on April 26 and self-isolated in his room, MOH said.

He was tested for Covid-19 by the NUS University Health Centre on April 28 and was confirmed to have the virus the next day.

“His Ct value was very high, which is indicative of a low viral load, and his serology test result has come back positive.

“He could be shedding minute fragments of the virus RNA from a past infection, which are no longer transmissible and infective to others, but given that we are not able to definitively conclude when he had been infected, we will take all the necessary public health actions as a precautionary measure,” MOH said.

Overall, the number of new cases in the community has shot up from 10 in the week before to 35 in the past week. 

The number of cases with no known links in the community has also gone up from five in the week before to six in the past week.

There were no cases reported from foreign worker dormitories.

IMPORTED CASES

There were 15 imported cases of Covid-19 recorded on Friday and all had been placed on stay-home notices upon their arrival here, MOH said.

They were:

• Two Singaporeans and two permanent residents who returned from India

• Three dependant’s pass holders who arrived from India and Nepal

• One long-term visit pass holder who came from Malaysia

• One work pass holder who arrived from Nepal

• Six work permit holders who came from Indonesia and the Philippines, all of whom are foreign domestic workers

UPDATE ON REMAINING CASES

The total number of infections in Singapore is now 61,145.

Of these, 60,751 people have fully recovered and been discharged, including 13 on Friday.

There are still 113 patients in hospitals. Of these, most are stable or improving, and no one is in critical condition, MOH said.

Another 251 patients are isolated at community facilities. They have mild symptoms or are clinically well but still tested positive for Covid-19.

Thirty people have died from complications due to the disease.