[SINGAPORE] A possible Covid-19 cluster has surfaced at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, with a nurse infected and likely infections in a doctor and three patients in the general ward.

The Health Ministry said that one of the three new community cases of Covid-19 as at Wednesday (April 28) was a nurse from Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH).

The 46 year-old female Philippine national was deployed at Ward 9D, a general ward.

She developed a cough, sore throat and body aches on 27 April, and sought medical treatment at TTSH, said MOH.

Her test result came back positive for Covid-19 infection on the same day, and she was warded at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID).

Her serology test result is pending.

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She received her first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on Jan 26, and the second dose on Feb 18.

The vaccine is effective in preventing symptomatic disease for the vast majority of those vaccinated, but it is possible for vaccinated individuals to get infected, said the ministry in a statement.

TTSH has locked down the affected ward, and tested the patients and staff who had been in the ward.

So far, MOH said it has detected four more cases who have tested preliminarily positive for Covid-19 infection. These include a doctor, and three patients who are being cared for in the same ward.

As a precautionary measure, all staff who treated the infected patients, as well as all visitors, patients and staff working in Ward 9D will be placed on quarantine, it said.

Epidemiological investigations and contact tracing are ongoing."As we are conducting further testing for these four cases, they have not been included in today's case count," MOH explained.

The Straits Times understands that one of the patients found to have tested positive for the virus is a 72-year-old woman who had been warded at the hospital since April 20.

She had been admitted to a C class ward for rheumatoid arthritis and developed a cough and fever on Sunday, April 25.

Her symptoms persisted and she was tested for Covid-19 on Wednesday morning. The results came back positive in the late afternoon.

She has not yet received the Covid-19 vaccine. Her husband, son, daughter and a grandson, seven, who had visited her have been quarantined.

Generally, the incubation period for the virus is five to six days, but could be as short as two days, or longer than 14 days. Patients are also believed to be infectious for a couple of days before symptoms appear.

It is not known how many other patients, as well as hospital staff, may have been in close contact with the patient.

THE STRAITS TIMES