No visitors allowed at Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s wards after staff, patients test positive for Covid-19

SINGAPORE — No visitors will be allowed into the wards at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) until further notice, after two staff members and three patients tested positive for Covid-19.

The hospital said in a Facebook post on Thursday (April 29) that the move was necessary to contain the coronavirus situation, and protect its patients and employees.

“Our sincere apologies for the inconvenience and we thank you for your understanding,” TTSH said.

In an earlier Facebook post on Wednesday night, the hospital said that it would tighten its ward visiting policy and allow only two pre-registered visitors throughout a patient's stay.

It also said that the affected ward had been locked down and that patients there were being swabbed and isolated.

On Tuesday, a 46-year-old nurse at TTSH, which is in the Novena area, developed a cough, sore throat and body aches. The Filipina, who worked at Ward 9D, sought medical treatment at the hospital.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said that she tested positive for Covid-19 later that day and was admitted to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases.

The woman had received her first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on Jan 26 and the second dose on Feb 18, MOH said.

She was one of three Covid-19 cases in the wider community reported in Singapore on Wednesday.

Based on preliminary tests, a doctor and three patients from the same TTSH ward were also infected.