Open AccessAn Otorhinolaryngology Perspective Into a Hospital COVID-19 Cluster
Author(s) -
Jasmine Tan,
Ming Yann Lim,
Augustine Yui Ler Chai,
Seng Beng Yeo
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
proceedings of singapore healthcare
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.21
H-Index - 9
eISSN - 2059-2329
pISSN - 2010-1058
DOI - 10.1177/20101058211055518
Subject(s) - otorhinolaryngology , cluster (spacecraft) , covid-19 , personal protective equipment , health care , limiting , perspective (graphical) , medicine , medical emergency , outbreak , family medicine , nursing , virology , surgery , pathology , political science , engineering , computer science , mechanical engineering , disease , artificial intelligence , infectious disease (medical specialty) , law , programming language
In this commentary, we share our experience of a COVID-19 cluster which developed within a frontline healthcare facility designated for treating COVID-19 patients. We provide an Otorhinolaryngology perspective into the key challenges, analyses and responses. We discuss how we identified and isolated infected patients and staff, uncovered the responsible COVID-19 variant strain B1.617.2 and instituted various measures to overcome this cluster. The measures include ceasing non-essential services, limiting transfers of patients, a heightened stance of personal protective equipment, ring-fencing of staff and enhanced COVID-19 testing. With rapid hospital wide efforts, there were no new non-isolated cases from our hospital cluster 3 days after the wards were locked down. The cluster which developed on 28-April-2021 was closed on 6-Jun-2021, with 48 cases, ten of whom were healthcare workers. Some of these lessons may be useful for consideration should another healthcare institution face a similar crisis in the future.