Change ward structures to improve infection control in hospitals

The layout of C class wards in older hospitals makes it difficult to prevent the spread of an in-hospital outbreak. PHOTO: TTSH

The outbreak of Covid-19 at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) highlights a lesson we should take to heart and do something about.

The nucleus of the outbreak is Ward 9D, a C class ward with 35 to 40 patients. About two-thirds of the patients in this ward contracted Covid-19 while being treated for other conditions.

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