Coronavirus: Singapore
Infected NCID nurse: Over 85% of staff in same ward have tested negative
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Charmaine Ng
More than 85 per cent of the staff who work in the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) ward where a nurse recently tested positive for Covid-19 have tested negative for the virus that causes the disease.
Test results for the remaining staff are still pending, NCID said in response to queries from The Straits Times yesterday.
"NCID is working closely with the Ministry of Health (MOH) on contact tracing, and the source of the infection is still under investigation," it said.
To further ensure the safety of staff, NCID said those who had been in close contact with the nurse have been placed on quarantine or leave of absence for two weeks, or one incubation period from the date of their last exposure to the nurse.
"Thorough cleaning of the common areas in the ward has also been completed," it said.
NCID also said that the nurse had carried out her duties in the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).
"She had gone for the prescribed staff polymerase chain reaction swab surveillance testing which is routinely carried out every fortnight and had negative test results," it said. "She completed her last routine PCR swab surveillance on June 10, which was negative."
On Wednesday, the nurse, who was caring for Covid-19-positive patients in an isolation ward, was one of three unlinked cases announced by MOH.
She had a runny nose and sore throat on Monday night, and saw a general practitioner the next day.
She had a positive antigen rapid test result that same day, and had a fever later that day.
She also subsequently tested positive in a PCR test on Tuesday.
MOH had said her serology test result is negative, which suggests a recent infection.
She received her first dose of Covid-19 vaccine on Jan 29, and her second dose on Feb 20.
She is now warded in NCID and is in stable condition.
Yesterday, NCID said the nurse was responsible in promptly seeking medical attention when she felt unwell.
It said that its front-line healthcare workers are trained and equipped with the appropriate PPE. They also undergo routine swab tests. "We emphasise frequent hand hygiene, and staff self-monitor their health status and report sick promptly when ill," it said.
