After around 15 days of fewer than 10 new community cases per day, the daily case count jumped a little yesterday to 19, sparking fears of a fresh outbreak.
But it was revealed that 8 of those had been linked to an emerging KTV cluster.
In recent days, KTV lounges and nightclubs have been on the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) radar, due to the concerning number of cases linked to it.
And, as always, when a particular area or facility continues to throw up new cases, the solution is testing, testing, and more testing.
MOH Offering Free COVID-19 Tests for Anyone Who Has Interacted with Vietnamese Social Hostesses
MOH is offering free COVID-19 testing for anyone who has interacted with Vietnamese social hostesses, “in any setting”.
The ministry said yesterday that it’s investigating cases of COVID-19 infection among Vietnamese social hostesses who had frequented KTV lounges or clubs currently operating as food and beverage outlets.
It added that there is likely ongoing transmission at three KTV clubs and lounges, namely:
- Club Dolce (Balestier Point)
- WU Bistro (Golden Mile Complex)
- Club De Zara (Textile Centre)
To break any potential chain of transmission and enable deep cleaning, MOH ordered these premises to close their doors to the public from 13 July to 27 July.
“To quickly uncover any community infection cases, we will be conducting special testing operations for all staff of WU Bistro and Club De Zara,” it added.
It will also be questioning the hostesses’ close social contacts.
Free COVID-19 testing will be offered to all visitors of WU Bistro and Club De Zara from 29 June to 13 July.
Those who have visited other KTV lounges or clubs that are operating as F&B outlets as well as those who have interacted with Vietnamese social hostesses “in any setting” during that period may also get tested for free, the ministry said.
Testing For Staff & Visitors of 3 Other Clubs
On Monday (12 July), the health ministry said it would carry out a special testing operation for employees at three entertainment outlets here, namely:
- Supreme KTV at Far East Shopping Centre
- Empress KTV at Tanglin Shopping Centre
- Club Dolce at the commercial centre of Balestier Point
Similarly, it will also offer free COVID-19 testing to members of the public who had visited the above premises between 29 June and 12 July.
MOH advised all visitors to monitor their health closely and minimise social interactions as far as possible for 14 days from their last date of visit.
Those who develop any COVID-19 symptoms should see their doctor immediately, it added.
94 Cases in Hospitals; 2 in ICU
At the moment, there are 94 COVID-19 cases in hospitals, most of whom are well and under observation.
There are two people in critical condition in the intensive care unit while seven require oxygen supplementation.
Over the last 28 days, 22 community cases required oxygen supplementation, were admitted to the ICU or died.
Of these, 18 were not vaccinated, four were partially vaccinated, and none were fully vaccinated.
2,355,254 people here have received their second dose and have completed the full vaccination regimen, meaning around 40% of the population have been fully inoculated.
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