Toa Payoh Central turns COVID-19 hotspot with visits by over 316 confirmed cases

Singapore — Toa Payoh Central has become a Covid-19 hotspot, with foot traffic by known Covid cases reaching 316 in a single day.

In October this year, the Ministry Of Health (MOH) began mapping the areas in Singapore in terms of the number of visits by confirmed Covid-19 patients to inform the public and limit more visits.

According to the MOH Covid-19 situation report using geospatial data, there has been about 241 to 570 known Covid cases that have visited Toa Payoh Central as of Nov 17.

The number has been fluctuating the past few days, with 106 to 260 known Covid case visits on Nov 16 before going up the day after.

Chinese newspaper Shin Min Daily News reported that Toa Payoh Central had around 316 to 715 Covid-19 cases on Nov 16, tagging the area as a hotspot.

The high numbers are said to result from the commercial, transportation, and residential facilities situated in the area.

Infectious disease expert Dr Leong Hoe Nam told Shin Min Daily News that Covid-19 hotspots usually have different types of facilities clustered within the same area, thus leading to heavier foot traffic.

A greater colour intensity on the map represents a greater number of detected Covid cases who have visited the area within the three-day time frame, said MOH.

Other hotspots with the same red colour scale include Tampines East, Geylang East, Jurong Gateway, Jurong West Central and Boulevard.

Members of the public are advised to avoid such areas when possible or take preventive measures to limit transmission.

Keep updated on the Covid-19 geospatial data here. /TISG

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