3 ward visitors, a patient and a pharmacist now part of TTSH Covid-19 cluster

• Five cases linked to the TTSH cluster include three visitors to Ward 9D
• Two others were a patient at the ward and a pharmacist
• This brings the cluster at the hospital to 40 cases
• There were no cases in foreign worker dormitories
• Two infected persons are in critical condition under intensive care

SINGAPORE — Singapore reported five new cases of Covid-19 in the community on Tuesday (May 4), all linked to the cluster at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) where a nurse working at Ward 9D was first found to be infected on April 27.

Of the five, three were visitors to the ward, one a patient and the remaining case was a pharmacist who had interacted with patients and staff members there.

This brings the cluster at TTSH to 40, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a statement.

The three visitors had gone to the hospital between April 18 and 28 and were detected through “proactive case-finding”, the ministry added.

They were:

1. A 53-year-old Singaporean woman who visited Ward 9D on several occasions between April 18 and 28. She had already received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on April 17.

The woman was contacted by MOH on April 29 at night to self-isolate and was placed on quarantine the next day.

She did not have any symptoms, but was tested for Covid-19 on May 2 during quarantine and her result came back positive the next day.

2. A 45-year-old Filipina who visited the ward on April 25. She was then quarantined at a dedicated facility on April 30.

The woman developed a runny nose, sore throat and fever on May 2 and reported her symptoms.

She was tested the same day and confirmed to be infected the next day. Her serology test result for past infection is pending, MOH said.

3. A 39-year-old Indonesia woman who visited the ward on April 21 and 22. She was quarantined at a dedicated facility on April 30.

MOH said that the woman then developed a sore throat and fever on May 3 and reported her symptoms. She was tested for Covid-19 that day.

Her serology test result is also pending.

PATIENT AT WARD AND PHARMACIST

As for the patient at the ward, he is a 64-year-old Singaporean who had been in Ward 9D on April 26.

He was transferred to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases the next day and tested for Covid-19 on April 28 and 30, but his results were negative.

“On May 2, (the man) developed a cough and fever and was tested again the next day. His result came back positive on May 4. His serology test result is pending,” MOH said.

The fifth case, who is the pharmacist, is a 25-year-old Singaporean man who had interacted with patients and staff members at Ward 9D on April 20, MOH said. He last went to work on April 28.

The man — who had been vaccinated on Feb 25 and March 18 — developed a mild runny nose on April 30, which resolved on the same day.

“On May 1, he was tested for Covid-19 and placed on quarantine in the early morning of May 3. His result came back positive on the same day. His serology test result is pending,” MOH said.

Overall, the number of new cases in the community has leapt from 11 in the week before to 64 in the past week.

The number of cases with no known links to confirmed cases has also gone up from four in the week before to 10 in the past week.

IMPORTED CASES

There were 12 imported cases of Covid-19 recorded on Tuesday and all had been placed on stay-home notices upon their arrival here, MOH said.

They were:

• One Singaporean and two permanent residents who returned from India

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

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

• One student’s pass holder who came from Japan

• One work pass holder who arrived from the Philippines

• Three work permit holders who arrived from Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia, one of whom is a foreign domestic worker

UPDATE ON REMAINING CASES

The total number of infections in Singapore is now 61,252.

Of these, 60,823 people have fully recovered and been discharged, including 17 on Tuesday.

There are still 131 patients in hospitals. Of these, most are stable or improving, and two are in critical condition.

The two in intensive care are not linked to the TTSH cluster, MOH said.

Another 267 patients are isolated at community facilities. They have mild symptoms or are clinically well but still tested positive for Covid-19.

Thirty-one people have died from complications due to the disease, with the latest being an 88-year-old.