SINGAPORE – The Singapore Health Ministry yesterday said 17 workers who have recovered from Covid-19 at Westlite Woodlands Dormitory here were found to be positive again.
In a statement, the ministry said this followed special operations it commenced with the Manpower Ministry to test the dormitory’s residents.
The cases are related to a 35-year-old male Bangladesh national residing at the dormitory, who was confirmed positive for Covid-19 on April 19.
Labelled as Case 62181, he works at Sembcorp Marine Admiralty Yard and is employed by Prosper Environmental & Engineering Pte Ltd as a construction supervisor.
The ministry said these cases were immediately isolated and conveyed to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases.
It said that it is investigating, together with an expert panel comprising infectious diseases and microbiology experts, if the cases are reinfections.
At a virtual press conference yesterday, the ministry’s medical services director, Kenneth Mak, said Singapore has done its own studies related to the antibody levels of recovered cases.
The studies, Mak said, looked at recovered cases in the community and workers in dormitories.
“We demonstrated that both groups retained antibody responses for sequencing for a time well above 300 days. However, over time, antibody responses in 40 cases went down. It is theoretically possible for a recovered person to get reinfected.
“This is why we want to be vigilant, particularly now when a number of our own recovered workers are starting to reach that 300-day milestone. It is prudent for us to start monitoring very closely for the risk of reinfection,” he said.
Mak noted that this would also be the basis for enhanced testing not just among workers, but also for travellers coming to Singapore.
“We will continue to be vigilant for reinfected cases as they arise,” he said. – Bernama, April 23, 2021
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