• MOH has detected 23 infections among residents of three public housing blocks in Ang Mo Kio and Clementi
• The residents of these blocks will have to undergo mandatory Covid-19 tests
• Separately, MOH said there are still 187,000 seniors aged above 60 who have yet to be vaccinated
• Health Minister Ong Ye Kung addressed the fears seniors may have about getting heart attacks or strokes after vaccination 

SINGAPORE — All residents of three public housing blocks in Ang Mo Kio and Clementi will have to undergo mandatory Covid-19 tests after 23 infections were detected among them, though those who have tested negative for the disease from July 24 onwards need not do so.

In a press statement on Wednesday (July 28), the Ministry of Health (MOH) said that it was investigating likely Covid-19 transmission at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 and Clementi Avenue 3.

So far, 10 cases have been detected in six households at Block 438 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10. In addition, 10 cases were detected in seven households at Block 430 Clementi Avenue 3 and three other cases were found in three households at Block 445A Clementi Avenue 3.

Most of these cases are linked to the Jurong Fishery Port cluster, MOH said.

TESTING IN ANG MO KIO

MOH said that it will conduct the mandatory tests for residents of Block 438 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 on Thursday between 9am and 4pm at the void deck of the block.

To detect possible asymptomatic cases in the community, the ministry will also conduct voluntary testing for visitors and those who have interacted with residents of the block between July 13 and 27.

Testing will be conducted by appointment only at designated regional screening centres on Thursday and Friday between 9am and 4pm.

To book an appointment and for information on the alternate test locations, go online to https://go.gov.sg/438-amk-appt or call 1800 333 9999.

TESTING IN CLEMENTI

Compulsory testing for residents of Block 430 and 445A Clementi Avenue 3 will be done from July 29 to 30.

This will happen between 9am and 4pm at the void deck of Block 430.

Voluntary testing will also be extended to visitors and members of the public who interacted with residents of the two blocks between July 13 and 27.

Testing will be conducted by appointment only at designated regional screening centres, and at the void deck of Block 321 Clementi Avenue 5 from Thursday to Saturday.

Members of the public may go online to https://go.gov.sg/430-445a-clementi-appt for more information.

“Residents are also advised to monitor their health closely and consult a doctor immediately if they feel unwell. Those who are still awaiting their test results are advised to minimise social interactions as much as possible,” MOH said.

“They should continue to monitor their health and seek immediate medical attention if they feel unwell."

187,000 SENIORS YET TO BE VACCINATED

In a separate statement on Wednesday, MOH said that to date, about 77 per cent of seniors aged 60 and above have been fully vaccinated.

“We still have about 187,000 seniors who have yet to receive their first dose,” the ministry cautioned.

It stressed that the seniors do not need to make a booking to be vaccinated at any of the vaccination centres across Singapore.

“For their convenience, they can also walk into any of the participating Public Health Preparedness Clinics or polyclinics to receive their first dose of Covid-19 vaccination, without any prior appointment needed.”

Commenting on this matter, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that one of the “common reasons is that the seniors… are worried that post-vaccination, they may get very sick, like (getting) heart attacks or strokes”.

Mr Ong stressed that heart attacks and strokes happen naturally within the population, “with or without Covid-19 vaccinations”.

“To see if Covid-19 vaccinations have led to more such diseases, I asked MOH to churn out the monthly numbers over the past 3.5 years,” he said.

“The two graphs show that numbers have remained steady, despite the fact that the number of seniors grew over the (last) few years.”

Mr Ong added: “I hope these numbers provide some peace of mind for seniors and their family members, to go ahead and take the vaccines.”

In an update, the ministry said that it has reached some 2,300 people since July 7 through the 10 mobile vaccination teams deployed to the heartlands.

Seniors who are homebound may also directly request to receive their vaccination at home, by calling the Silver Generation Office hotline at 1800-650-6060.