Recovered workers who test positive may be shedding viral fragments
Recovered workers who test positive for Covid-19 may not have been reinfected, as they could just be shedding viral fragments from an old infection, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) yesterday.
More recovered workers are expected to test positive for the coronavirus as the authorities conduct regular testing of those who were infected more than 270 days ago, because of the risk of waning immunity and the threat of new variants.
"We expect a proportion of them to return a positive result on the polymerase chain reaction test," said the ministry.
MOM's Assurance, Care and Engagement Group medical director Lam Meng Chon said such cases will require further clinical assessment, to determine whether they are old or current infections.
"When Covid-19 positive cases are found among the recovered workers population, it does not mean that it is a confirmed cluster, because it could actually be a group of people that are shedding dead viral fragments, which are actually non-infectious," he told reporters on the sidelines of a briefing.
"In this case, it is not a cluster but an old infection. So there is no need to panic, but to actually be patient and allow the clinical assessment to take place."
Dr Lam was referring to the 24 recovered workers at Westlite Woodlands dormitory who tested positive. Of this group, five were determined to be likely cases of reinfection, while 11 were assessed to be shedding virus fragments.
Yesterday, MOM said movement restrictions or quarantines in dormitories might be imposed if a few workers there test positive. Such measures are necessary while the clinical assessment is carried out and will be lifted when testing is completed, the ministry added.
MOM said: "If quarantines are imposed in some dormitories, this does not necessarily mean there are confirmed clusters there. Most of the time, it is because cases are being assessed to determine if they are old or current infections."
Dr Lam said imposing a quarantine will allow the authorities to quickly isolate cases of reinfection and prevent further spread. There is no need for the public to be worried as the appropriate public health measures will be put in place early, he added.
This article first appeared in The Straits Times.
By the numbers
23 New cases
30 Deaths
3 New cases in the community
14 Discharged yesterday
20 Imported cases
112 In hospital
61086 Total cases
60703 Total recovered
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