Acacia Home is a welfare home for male destitute persons managed by Sathya Sai Social Service (Singapore) in Admiralty.
And on 27 Apr 2020, another 12 residents and two employees were tested positive for Covid-19.
With this, there are now 15 Covid-19 patients from the home and they’re all warded at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.
Everyone Who Has Been To The Home In The Past Four Weeks Are Tested
Previously, the authorities have highlighted the importance of testing, even on people who show little to no symptoms because a huge bulk of Covid-19 carriers are asymptomatic cases.
As a precaution, a total of 167 people were tested for the coronavirus after a 62-year-old patient was tested positive on 25 Apr 2020.
The number includes 115 residents, 31 employees and 21 contractors who had been to the home to do essential work in the past four weeks.
The remaining 153 people were tested negative for Covid-19 and contact tracing efforts are underway, the ministries reported.
Imagine if the authorities did not bar visitors from the homes, the number of people who have to be tested would’ve been a lot more.
More Measures Put Into Place
The home has been cleaned and disinfected thoroughly.
All its staff and employees have been placed on quarantine and employees from other facilities will be transferred to Acacia Home to ensure operations continuity.
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Acacia Home has stopped taking in new residents since 25 Apr 2020 and all staff are required to use full personal protection equipment (PPE).
Residents are also required to wear a surgical mask at all times.
Other Homes Reminded To Be More Vigilant
The ministries are also urging for all “residential and community-based facilities” to be more vigilant when conducting health checks on both its staff and residents.
High standards of personal and environmental hygiene must also be maintained.
“This includes keeping the facility’s environment clean, and frequent washing of hands with soap – especially before the preparation and consumption of meals, after toilet visits or when hands are dirtied by respiratory secretions after coughing or sneezing.”
Staff were also reminded to be vigilant about their health and reminded not to turn up for work if they’re feeling unwell.
As of the moment of writing, there are at least 20 Covid-19 cases linked to nursing homes in Singapore.
Homes Have Been Closed To Visitors Since 2 Apr
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), data shows that the elderly, as well as those with underlying medical conditions, are at higher risk of dying to Covid-19.
After the emergence of a new Covid-19 cluster at Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home at 1 Thomson Lane, visitors are barred from nursing homes until 30 Apr 2020.
In Singapore, there are now 14 Covid-19 related deaths and all of them happened to seniors between the age of 65 and 74 years old.
The Singapore authorities have asked Singaporeans living with an elderly to avoid interacting with them if they’re unwell.