New COVID-19 cluster at Harvest @ Woodlands dormitory after 3 more workers test positive

SINGAPORE: A new COVID-19 cluster was identified at Harvest @ Woodlands dormitory after three new cases were linked to a previous case there, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Tuesday (May 25).

The new dormitory infections were among the 21 locally transmitted infections reported on Tuesday. This is the highest number of daily dormitory infections since Oct 8 last year, when four infections were reported.

READ: 21 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases in Singapore, including 3 in dormitories

The new cases are roommates of Case 63622, a 46-year-old Malaysian man who tested positive for COVID-19 on May 22. He works as a construction worker at H&W Communications.

The three new cases are also construction workers in the same firm.

Known as Cases 63696, 63697 and 63698, the new cases were detected when they were tested for COVID-19 on May 22 as part of rostered routine testing. Case 63696 developed a fever on the same day, while the other two cases were asymptomatic.

All three workers tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. 

Their earlier tests from rostered routine testing, the last of which was on May 8, were negative. Their serology test results are negative.

PREVIOUS DORMITORY CLUSTER CLOSES

MOH said on Tuesday that the cluster at Westlite Woodlands Dormitory is now closed as there have been no new cases linked to it for the past 28 days. The cluster had seven cases, five of whom were re-infections.

READ: Measures put in place at Westlite Woodlands dormitory after 17 recovered workers test positive for COVID-19 again

Singapore reported a total of 30 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the total number of infections to 61,890.

Last month, the Manpower Ministry said that precautionary steps have been taken in the dormitories to protect workers who are well and to stem the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Workers can still access communal facilities and recreation centres in dormitories, with regulations in place to prevent residents from mingling. However, movement between dormitory blocks is not allowed and safe management measures have been stepped up.

“Workers have also been advised to cease social interactions with others who do not reside in the same room or floor,” the Manpower Ministry said. 

OTHER NEW CLUSTERS

Two other new clusters have been identified. One is linked to Case 63543, an operations employee at The Meatery SG who tested positive on May 21. 

The cluster has a total of three cases. The newest case linked to this cluster is a six-year-old child who goes to My First Skool at 211 Jurong East Street 21. 

The other case is a 39-year-old female Singaporean administrative employee at Tomoe Transtech Specialty Gases, who was also confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 on May 21. Both cases are household contacts of Case 63543. 

Another new cluster is linked to Case 63660, a 31-year-old Singaporean property agent with ERA Realty Network who tested positive for COVID-19 on May 23. There are three new cases linked to this new cluster, bringing the total to five. 

All three new cases are family members and household contacts of Case 63661, a 28-year-old Singaporean engineer with Takenaka Corporation, who is also linked to this cluster after testing positive on May 23. 

The three new cases are a 60-year-old male Singaporean retiree, a 57-year-old female Singaporean who is a retail vendor at Chong Pang City, and a 30-year-old male Singaporean who is self-employed and works from home. 

All three showed symptoms but did not seek medical treatment, and were detected days later after being placed on quarantine on May 23 when they were identified as close contacts of the engineer, said MOH in its update on Tuesday. 

READ: Pre-emptive COVID-19 testing at dormitories, worksites after new cases detected

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