Singapore
By Jalelah Abu Baker 22 Apr 2021 06:48PM (Updated: 22 Apr 2021 07:14PM )
SINGAPORE: Dormitory residents working in the construction, marine and process sectors who have recovered from COVID-19 will no longer be exempted from rostered routine testing.
"They will be enrolled back on RRT (rostered routine testing) once they have passed 270 days from the date of past infection," said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Thursday (Apr 22).
If identified as close contacts of COVID-19 cases, they will be subject to quarantine to identify potential re-infection and reduce the risk of the coronavirus spreading, the ministry added.
This takes effect from Apr 29.
Previously, all recovered workers need not undergo routine testing. Authorities had said in November that they were at low risk of re-infection, which means these workers are "unlikely to benefit from RRT".
However, MOH and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) have reviewed the latest scientific evidence from the cohort of recovered workers in Singapore nearing one year from the date of infection.
The evidence suggests "a possible gradual decrease in antibody levels in recovered persons," said MOH. "Immunity in recovered persons can wane, and caution is required around the infection risks in recovered persons."
TIGHTER RULES FOR NEW WORKERS WITH POSITIVE SEROLOGY TESTS
The Health Ministry also announced that with immediate effect, all new migrant workers from higher-risk countries or regions, including those with a positive serology result, will have to undergo stay-home notice at a dedicated facility.
This is before they move on to the Migrant Workers Onboarding Centre for an additional testing regime, MOH said.
New migrant workers with a positive serology result, indicating a prior infection, will also have to go through rostered routine testing every 14 days, after they have completed the stay-home notice and stay at the onboarding centre.
Previously, those with a positive serology test would undergo a seven-day period of isolation. They did not need to be tested further at the end of that isolation period as authorities "could be confident that they were no longer infectious", MOH had said in December.
The tightened measures come as 17 residents at Westlite Woodlands dormitory who had recovered from COVID-19 tested positive again for the coronavirus.
They were detected following special testing operations at the dormitory, after a 35-year-old Bangladeshi worker there was confirmed to have the virus on Monday. The 35-year-old worker tested positive after receiving his second dose of the vaccine.
“With the emergence of new variants of concern around the world, we will closely monitor for re-infection of recovered COVID-19 cases, and are reviewing our border measures for recovered travellers,” MOH said on Thursday.
At a press conference by the COVID-19 multi-ministry task force, Second Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng said that the Government is planning to give recovered workers a single COVID-19 booster shot.
“Studies have shown that there is a boosting of the immunity after you’ve given them a single shot, so we do have plans for that,” he said.
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
Source: CNA/ja(gs)
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Dormitory residents who have recovered from COVID-19 no longer exempt from routine testing
Residents are seen at a dormitory in Singapore on May 6, 2020. (File photo: Jeremy Long)By Jalelah Abu Baker 22 Apr 2021 06:48PM (Updated: 22 Apr 2021 07:14PM )
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SINGAPORE: Dormitory residents working in the construction, marine and process sectors who have recovered from COVID-19 will no longer be exempted from rostered routine testing.
"They will be enrolled back on RRT (rostered routine testing) once they have passed 270 days from the date of past infection," said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Thursday (Apr 22).
If identified as close contacts of COVID-19 cases, they will be subject to quarantine to identify potential re-infection and reduce the risk of the coronavirus spreading, the ministry added.
This takes effect from Apr 29.
Previously, all recovered workers need not undergo routine testing. Authorities had said in November that they were at low risk of re-infection, which means these workers are "unlikely to benefit from RRT".
READ: COVID-19: Singapore to disallow entry for all long-term pass holders, short-term visitors with recent travel history to India
However, MOH and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) have reviewed the latest scientific evidence from the cohort of recovered workers in Singapore nearing one year from the date of infection.
The evidence suggests "a possible gradual decrease in antibody levels in recovered persons," said MOH. "Immunity in recovered persons can wane, and caution is required around the infection risks in recovered persons."
TIGHTER RULES FOR NEW WORKERS WITH POSITIVE SEROLOGY TESTS
The Health Ministry also announced that with immediate effect, all new migrant workers from higher-risk countries or regions, including those with a positive serology result, will have to undergo stay-home notice at a dedicated facility.
This is before they move on to the Migrant Workers Onboarding Centre for an additional testing regime, MOH said.
New migrant workers with a positive serology result, indicating a prior infection, will also have to go through rostered routine testing every 14 days, after they have completed the stay-home notice and stay at the onboarding centre.
Previously, those with a positive serology test would undergo a seven-day period of isolation. They did not need to be tested further at the end of that isolation period as authorities "could be confident that they were no longer infectious", MOH had said in December.
READ: Measures put in place at Westlite Woodlands dormitory after 17 recovered workers test positive for COVID-19 again
The tightened measures come as 17 residents at Westlite Woodlands dormitory who had recovered from COVID-19 tested positive again for the coronavirus.
They were detected following special testing operations at the dormitory, after a 35-year-old Bangladeshi worker there was confirmed to have the virus on Monday. The 35-year-old worker tested positive after receiving his second dose of the vaccine.
“With the emergence of new variants of concern around the world, we will closely monitor for re-infection of recovered COVID-19 cases, and are reviewing our border measures for recovered travellers,” MOH said on Thursday.
At a press conference by the COVID-19 multi-ministry task force, Second Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng said that the Government is planning to give recovered workers a single COVID-19 booster shot.
“Studies have shown that there is a boosting of the immunity after you’ve given them a single shot, so we do have plans for that,” he said.
BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
Source: CNA/ja(gs)
Continue reading...