Singapore Port Covid-19 cluster emerges

A Covid-19 cluster has emerged in Singapore’s container port, after a trailer driver tested positive, leading to fears that the virus could have spread through the port.

Singapore’s Health Ministry announced on 6 May that it is testing port workers, after a trailer driver, who worked at Brani and Pasir Panjang Terminals, tested positive for Covid-19 on 4 May.

The driver, a Singaporean, is employed by GKE Express Logistics, and was sent for Covid-19 testing after developing symptoms on 2 May. His infection is linked to three other port workers who tested positive in April.

The health ministry said, “Transmission could have occurred at the terminal. Further epidemiological investigations are ongoing.”

The first case in the cluster was an Indian national, who is a lashing specialist at Pasir Panjang Terminal. An employee of Seafront Support Company, he lives in a dormitory around Brani Terminal and tested positive for Covid-19 on 10 April.

He was fully vaccinated against Covid-19 in February and showed no symptoms, but his infection was detected during pooled testing, which is conducted by bringing people in an at-risk group together.

The second case in the port cluster is a Myanmar national, 35, who is a stevedore at Pasir Panjang Terminal and Brani Terminal. He lives in a dormitory around Pasir Panjang Terminal and had also been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 in February. He also had no symptoms and his infection was picked up during routine testing on 28 April.

His colleague and fellow dormitory resident is the third case in the cluster. This case, an Indian national, was also asymptomatic and had been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 in February. His infection was detected when the health ministry conducted testing after the second case was uncovered.