Clinical assessment of COVID-19 outbreak among migrant workers residing in a large dormitory in Singapore

Abstract

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Demographic shift in COVID-19 patients in Singapore from an aged, at-risk population to young migrant workers with reduced risk of severe disease

“…1 ). As there was no ability to isolate and quarantine migrant workers in an efficient and effective manner, the outbreak grew exponentially ( Chew et al 2020 ). Active case finding within dormitories, the transfer of migrant workers to hospital and purpose built, cohort facilities were put in place in an attempt to contain spread and to contain the virus from the local population ( Government of Singapore, 2020a , Government of Singapore, 2020b )., ,…”

Assessing the impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions on the transmissibility and severity of COVID-19 during the first five months in the Western Pacific Region

“…However, border control measures can rarely be complete in curtailing the risk of outbreaks in the community. For Singapore, a few unidentified cases from overseas were the suspected cause for the large cluster outbreaks among migrant workers living in purpose-built mega dormitories [ 15 ]. Similarly, South Korea had a high level of transmissibility in the first wave owing to a super-spreading event in February involving the Shincheonji Church of Jesus cluster to which thousands of cases were linked.…”

Dynamic emergency department response to the evolving COVID‐19 pandemic: the experience of a tertiary hospital in Singapore

“…In the third and largest wave, cases among migrant workers staying in purpose-built dormitories ("dormitory cases") predominated, with a significant number of asymptomatic cases. 2 A significant spike occurred in mid-April, with a daily maximum of 1397 patients diagnosed on April 24, 2020 ( Figure 1). In response to the spike in cases, a nationwide "circuit breaker" period was declared from April 7, 2020 to June 1, 2020.…”

“…To date, Singapore has faced several waves of COVID-19 patients, each with distinct epidemiology. 1,2 During the first wave of cases from mid-March to early April 2020, "imported cases," comprising travelers and returning Singaporeans, predominated. From March 18, 2020 onwards, the Singaporean government barred inbound travel; from June 17, 2020, travel curbs were lifted, but all travelers were required to serve a 14-day stay-home-notice period and undergo COVID-19 testing.…”