120 bus captains across seven interchanges infected with Covid-19 so far: LTA

[unicornfloof]

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/120-bus-captains-across-seven-interchanges-infected-with-covid-19-so-far-lta

A total of 120 bus captains have been infected with Covid-19 so far, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) which is working with public transport operators to minimise the impact on services.

The number of clusters involving bus interchanges has grown to seven after the first two - at Bishan and Sengkang - were announced on Aug 14.

An LTA spokesman told The Straits Times on Monday (Aug 30) that there are currently 23 infected bus captains in the Bishan cluster and 14 in the Sengkang one.

Two new clusters - identified on Aug 26 - currently involve 33 bus captains at the Toa Payoh interchange, and 13 at the Punggol one.

Another three clusters - announced over the last three days - currently involve nine bus captains in the Clementi interchange, 15 in the Jurong East interchange and 13 in the Boon Lay interchange.

According to the Ministry of Health (MOH) website, another 54 cases - staff from these interchanges and their contacts- are also linked to the seven clusters.

The LTA spokesman said many of the cases were picked up early and clusters isolated as a result of community surveillance testing and proactive regular testing.

Of the 120 infected bus captains, four were unvaccinated.

The rest are fully inoculated, and most are asymptomatic or showing only mild symptoms.

Overall, 99 per cent of front-line public transport workers have completed their first dose of the vaccine, and over 95 per cent are fully inoculated, said the spokesman.

Asked what is being done to ensure commuter safety at bus interchanges, he added: "Once a cluster at a public transport node is detected, deep cleaning and disinfection is carried at the location as well as on all affected buses and common facilities. This is in addition to the stepped up cleaning regime that operators have put in place since last year."

Safe management measures are also strictly enforced, and in light of the recent developments, workers will have to take their meals and smoke breaks alone even if they are fully vaccinated, said the spokesman.

He added that the authorities are monitoring the situation closely and will work with the operators to make further adjustments where necessary.

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Oof, everyone should be more careful when they visit bus interchanges during this period! 😞 It's so scary how asymptomatic cases can spread so quickly over a short amount of time. Stay safe guys! 😥

[Sosaria]

Big question is how come spread so far and wide across interchanges?

As far as I know the bus drivers are not deployed to different interchanges or different service numbers on different days. Always drive the same routes only.

Perhaps there could be infection due to renting the same flat, as can happen to foreign drivers, who then go off to work at different interchanges.

Taking smoke breaks together is another possibility - mask off, chatting, and big groups (more than the 2 per table limit; doesn't make sense!) - It is more risky than when having meals.

Edited August 30, 2021 by Sosaria

[Nolicense]

5 minutes ago, happy_man said:

Pfizer or Moderna ?

"... Of the 120 infected bus captains, 4 (or 3.3%) were unvaccinated. The rest are fully inoculated (or 96.7%).......Overall, 99% of front-line public transport workers have completed their first dose of the vaccine, and over 95 per cent are fully inoculated..."

 

 

well we know they are not badly sick? asymptomatic?

anyway we can put the vaccine stop infection to bed. it has absolutely 0 credibility now. is there even a need to calculate the total vaccinated vs un vacc? 

we dont even know who lives together with who and im sure they all smoke break together in groups

Edited August 30, 2021 by Nolicense

[Nolicense]

15 minutes ago, Sosaria said:

Big question is how come spread so far and wide across interchanges?

As far as I know the bus drivers are not deployed to different interchanges or different service numbers on different days. Always drive the same routes only.

Perhaps there could be infection due to renting the same flat, as can happen to foreign drivers, who then go off to work at different interchanges.

Taking smoke breaks together is another possibility - mask off, chatting, and big groups (more than the 2 per table limit; doesn't make sense!) - It is more risky than when having meals.

maybe all prc drivers.. all take sinovac? lol

[Stary]

10 minutes ago, Nolicense said:

well we know they are not badly sick? asymptomatic?

anyway we can put the vaccine stop infection to bed. it has absolutely 0 credibility now. is there even a need to calculate the total vaccinated vs un vacc? 

we dont even know who lives together with who and im sure they all smoke break together in groups

Even if now is asymptomatic/mild, vaxx efficacy may drop over time and that's when it becomes dangerous because most people would have throw caution out of the window by then.

Still better practice safe management measures and stay safe as much as possible.

Edited August 30, 2021 by Starry

[Nolicense]

Just now, Starry said:

Even if now is asymptomatic/mild, efficacy drops over time and that's when it becomes dangerous because most people would have throw caution out of the window by then.

 

yes antibody level drop over time. 6 month need booster.. but i think that may also be not enough. doesnt take long for mutation. shorter than 6 months

[Darevil]

Ho seh liao, less bus on the road, bus lane closed ! chiong ahhhhhhhhhh

[unicornfloof]

31 minutes ago, Sosaria said:

Big question is how come spread so far and wide across interchanges?

As far as I know the bus drivers are not deployed to different interchanges or different service numbers on different days. Always drive the same routes only.

Perhaps there could be infection due to renting the same flat, as can happen to foreign drivers, who then go off to work at different interchanges.

Taking smoke breaks together is another possibility - mask off, chatting, and big groups (more than the 2 per table limit; doesn't make sense!) - It is more risky than when having meals.

I think it could also be related to individuals from the other clusters taking different buses, which leads to the spread of the virus. After all, if you don't show symptoms of the infection, you would assume that you're perfectly fine and healthy and just go about your normal routine (even if you have visited a place where an infected person had been to before).

[unicornfloof]

25 minutes ago, Nolicense said:

well we know they are not badly sick? asymptomatic?

anyway we can put the vaccine stop infection to bed. it has absolutely 0 credibility now. is there even a need to calculate the total vaccinated vs un vacc? 

we dont even know who lives together with who and im sure they all smoke break together in groups

Being asymptomatic doesn't necessarily mean it won't get worse, and we are not 100% sure if all bus drivers have received their two doses since LTA is always hiring new drivers. And yes, while the vaccine doesn't 100% guarantee that you won't get the virus, it does help in preventing the infected from facing deadly complications. I think the stats are to provide some assurance since we always assume efficiency in numbers. 

[unicornfloof]

17 minutes ago, Nolicense said:

yes antibody level drop over time. 6 month need booster.. but i think that may also be not enough. doesnt take long for mutation. shorter than 6 months

Yep, and that's super scary to know that the virus could still undergo mutations in the future as we speak 😥

[unicornfloof]

22 minutes ago, Nolicense said:

maybe all prc drivers.. all take sinovac? lol

I thought sinovac is considered 'better' than other vaccines? 😓

 

[unicornfloof]

9 minutes ago, Darevil said:

Ho seh liao, less bus on the road, bus lane closed ! chiong ahhhhhhhhhh

just chiong only

[Nolicense]

7 minutes ago, unicornfloof said:

I think it could also be related to individuals from the other clusters taking different buses, which leads to the spread of the virus. After all, if you don't show symptoms of the infection, you would assume that you're perfectly fine and healthy and just go about your normal routine (even if you have visited a place where an infected person had been to before).

if from passenger to driver, that would be bad.. the driver is masked and speaks to no one really on the journey

[Nolicense]

6 minutes ago, unicornfloof said:

 we are not 100% sure if all bus drivers have received their two doses since LTA is always hiring new drivers. 

Quote

over 95 per cent are fully inoculated..."

 

[Nolicense]

5 minutes ago, unicornfloof said:

I thought sinovac is considered 'better' than other vaccines? 😓

 

better in what sense?

[Watwheels]

I think the infection could have been spread via common resting area at the bus interchange. A place that only the bus captains could access.

Edited August 30, 2021 by Watwheels

[Beregond]

37 minutes ago, Nolicense said:

maybe all prc drivers.. all take sinovac? lol

nowsaday i dun believe in the effective % of all the vaccine on the paper liao.

from phizer to modena to sinovac etc etc, all buay zhun. either hype up or bring down.

now to me any vaccine is better then no vaccine. 

any vaccine to me is either mrna or non mrna. ( of course got a new type coming soon )

[Tohto]

I am not surprised on the cluster from bus captain. I will say lucky this cluster only happened after most are vaccinated. 

I have always saw bus captain gathered together outside bus interchange,  mask down smoking... this actually came quite late already.