SINGAPORE: A former care staff member at the Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home at 148A Silat Avenue tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday (Aug 30) in the Philippines, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Monday.
As a precautionary measure, the health ministry and the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) worked with the nursing home to test 90 staff members and residents who were identified as possible contacts of the case.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe results for all 90 individuals returned negative, said MOH.
The former staff member had not displayed any acute respiratory infection symptoms while she was at work and her last day at Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home at Silat Avenue was Aug 26, said the health ministry.
"She had been healthy and well during her employment in the last 24 months and did not display any symptoms," the nursing home said in a Facebook post on Monday.
It added that the former staff member had worn personal protective equipment during her shifts and moved back to the Philippines after completing her contract, where she was tested upon her return.
AdvertisementAdvertisement"We have reached out to her to offer her our support. She shared that she still feels well and has not displayed any symptoms," the nursing home said.
All physical visits to the Silat Avenue branch of the nursing home have been suspended and replaced with video calls.
The nursing home has also "thoroughly cleaned and disinfected" the ward and affected areas, and will enhance the usage of personal protective equipment among its staff, AIC said in a statement on the same day.
The agency added that Lee Ah Mooi (Silat) has been complying with precautionary measures in line with MOH and its advisories since February 2020.
"These include twice-daily temperature taking of residents and staff, adhering to split-zone requirements, and the wearing of appropriate PPE (personal protective equipment) by both staff and visitors within the nursing home," said AIC.
On Apr 1, a cluster was identified at the Thomson Lane branch of the Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home. Three residents from the Thomson Lane branch died after contracting the coronavirus.
On May 8, the cluster at the Thomson Lane branch was closed after no new cases were linked to it for the past 28 days.
[h=3]READ: Singapore reports 41 new COVID-19 cases, including 3 in the community [/h]Singapore reported 41 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, including three in the community and seven imported cases.
"All new cases today are asymptomatic, and were detected from our proactive screening and surveillance," said MOH.
The community cases are a 36-year-old Malaysian, and two Indian nationals aged 40 and 45 whose infections are unlinked.
The three men were detected as COVID-19 cases through rostered routine testing of workers in the construction, marine and process sectors who are living outside the dormitories, said MOH.
The seven imported cases comprise two Singaporeans, four permanent residents and a work permit holder. All are asymptomatic and were confirmed as COVID-19 cases on Aug 30.
The two Singaporeans are a 64-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man who travelled from India.
The remaining 31 cases are workers living in dormitories.
Singapore's tally of cases stands at 56,812, with 27 deaths.
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