Data on Workers in Environmental Services Sector Infected with COVID-19 since 1 Jan 2021

Dr Tan Wu Meng asked the Minister for Health (a) to date, how many workers in the environmental services sector, including cleaners, have been infected with COVID-19 in total and since 1 January 2021 respectively; (b) of these, how many are infected with the Delta / B.1.617.2 strain or other variants of increased infectivity; and (c) at the time of infection, how many are working in or had recent deployment in healthcare frontline settings.

From 1 January 2021 to 28 June 2021, 64 individuals working in environmental services, providing services such as cleaning and housekeeping, were infected with COVID-19. Five of them were deployed in frontline settings including hospitals and community care facilities.

Phylogenetic sequencing was successful for 61 of them. Of these, 59 cases were found to be infected with the Delta variant and the remaining two were infected with B.1.466.2 and B.1.524, which are non-Variants of Concern.