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SINGAPORE: Forty-five buses are transporting between 400 and 600 COVID-19 patients from hospitals and dormitories of migrant workers to community care centers (CCFs) every day, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Thursday (14 of May).
The fleet will expand to 60 buses in the coming weeks and had grown from 40 since May 5, reflecting the growing requirements in this logistics task.
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CCFs are for patients with COVID-19 who are clinically well and no longer require acute care, and recently confirmed cases with mild symptoms that do not require extensive medical treatment.
These facilities, located at D’Resort, the Singapore Expo and the Changi Exhibition Center, are part of a broader strategy to ensure that Singapore has sufficient healthcare capacity to deal with the pandemic.
Singapore has reported hundreds of new cases of COVID-19 every day, most of which are migrant workers living in student residences.
“All of these bus drivers are trained in the proper use of personal protective equipment and required decontamination procedures for buses to ensure the safety of passengers and the driver,” said a spokesman for the Ministry of Health.
The MOH and various agencies organize the buses, including the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Singapore Civil Defense Force. The buses are hired by Lentor Ambulance and other commercial operators.
“The Medical Operations Task Force, which is supported by SAF and other agencies, prioritizes and oversees operations for the transportation of cases between medical facilities in dormitories, hospitals and community facilities,” the ministry said. of health.
READ: 20 reconditioned SMRT buses to help transport COVID-19 patients between facilities
Of the 45 buses, five are from the public transport operator SMRT.
SMRT announced Tuesday that 20 of its buses have been adapted to assist with the massive transfer of COVID-19 patients between hospitals, migrant worker residences, and various community care and recovery facilities.
The buses can carry more than 30 passengers at a time and contain a watertight partition that separates the driver and passengers to reduce the risk of transmission.
“The rest of the modernized SMRT buses will be progressively deployed in the coming weeks to join the current fleet in patient transportation,” said the Ministry of Health.
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