Singapore continues to report new coronavirus cases. So far, 130 new locally transmitted Covid infections and five new clusters on Wednesday (July 28) have been uncovered.
Among the new cases is the Punggol Primary School cluster that has seven infected cases, according to a CNA report.
COVID Cases In Schools In Singapore: 7 Infected At Punggol Primary School
A new cluster at Punggol Primary School, which was identified on Tuesday grew to seven cases on Wednesday.
Resultantly, mandatory swab tests will be conducted for all the students and the staff members of the schools today (July 29) and on Friday (July 30).
The school was thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before it was reopened for the swab tests. Currently, home-based learning has been implemented for all the students; from July 29 to August 6.
In addition, all the close contacts of cases have been placed under quarantine order or leave of absence.
The Ministry of Education informed that they will continue to monitor the situation and work together with parents and the school to ensure the well-being of all.
On the back of rising Covid cases in schools in Singapore, the Ministry further reminded students and staff to seek immediate help if they are feeling unwell and to continue practising good hygiene and follow all the guidelines.
The uncovering of this cluster comes soon after the Raffles Institution case.
Last week, Raffles Institution students in Years 1 to 4 had to switch to home-based learning for a day after a stall assistant at the school’s canteen was found coronavirus positive.
Health Risk Warning After COVID Cases In Schools Singapore Uncovered
MOH’s website highlights that health risk warnings are usually given to those who have had casual contact with a coronavirus patient or visited high-risk spots on the same day as the infected person.
These people are immediately required to self-isolate until they get a negative test result for their first PCR test. They also should take an exit PCR test for assurance that they are not incubating the virus.
Students and staff who have been issued a health risk warning will be able to return to school after the COVID-19 negative swab test.
MOE, however, urged them to limit their social interactions as much as possible.
5 New Clusters Emerge
MOH further informed that five new clusters have been identified, taking the total number of active cases in the country to 44.
The size of these clusters ranges between three and 932 infections.
Among the new clusters is also Home’s Favourite, a bakery, a cluster with six cases. The place will remain closed from July 29 to August 12 for deep cleaning.
MOH further informed that all the staff members have been placed in quarantine and they will be tested.
The number of cases in the Westlite Juniper Dormitory cluster now has 11 infections.
There are around three to four cases each in the other new clusters reported on Wednesday.
The existing clusters have added more cases. For instance, 10 more infection cases have been linked to Samy’s Curry Restaurant, taking the total to 38.
On the other hand, the Jurong Fishery Port cluster has grown to 932 cases and remains the largest active cluster on the island.
Free Coronavirus Testing: What You Must Know
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MOH also informed that free COVID testings have been extended to people who visited Taman Jurong Market & Food Centre between July 13 to July 27.
This testing is part of MOH’s investigation of coronavirus cases involving markets and food centres.
In addition to this, COVID-19 self kits will also be given to people who have visited Teban Gardens Market and 216 Bedok Food Centre.
The collection of these tests will be done from Wednesday to Thursday at the resident’s committee centres at the locations.
Vaccination status of elderly
Singapore still has a large portion of senior citizens who are yet to be vaccinated.
Even though around 77% of the seniors over the age of 60 have received two jabs of the vaccine, but still around 187,000 seniors are still to receive even their first dose.
Mr Ong Ye Kung addressed the issue in a detailed Facebook post. He said one of the main reasons for reluctance is because their family members are worried that their senior citizens may suffer from serious illnesses like a heart attack or stroke post getting their jabs.
Mr Ong explained that the above illness can happen within anyone with or without the jabs.
He presented data to show that the numbers of people who suffered from serious illnesses “have remained steady, despite the fact that (the) number of seniors grew over the few years”.
“Hospital beds could fill up in a week”
Health Minister Mr Ong had further highlighted everyone’s attention to the fact that if COVID clusters grow”uncontrollably,” then hospital beds in Singapore can fill up in a week.
He was quoted saying, “The odds of a large surge in cases are stacked against us: We know that when a cluster grows uncontrollably, infection numbers would double every seven to 10 days, which meant that hospital beds could fill up in a week. Beyond that, we could be overwhelmed.”
Safety Tips To Remember
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The government has been urging people time and again to follow the precautions to curb the virus. These include:
- Avoiding close contact with people exhibiting flu or cold symptoms.
- Paying attention to your personal hygiene.
- Maintaining the habit of sneezing and coughing by covering your mouth.
- Sanitising hands with soap and water. If stepping out, not forgetting to carry a sanitiser.
- Avoiding touching any surfaces.
- Eating healthy food and taking special care to build immunity.
- Regularly exercising.
- Wearing masks when heading out to crowded areas.
News source: The Strait Times, CNA
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