Introduction
The COVID-19 outbreak is an ongoing pandemic that has taken the world by storm. As of 31st May 2020, there has been more than 6 million confirmed cases, including 371,000 deaths[1]. Singapore was one of the earliest countries outside of China affected by COVID-19, with the first case diagnosed on 23rd January 2020. By 31st May 2020, the nation reported a total of 34,884 cases (the highest number in Southeast Asia) with 23 deaths [2]. In response to the outbreak, the Ministry of Health (MOH) raised the Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) from yellow to orange on 7th February 2020 [3], adopting a heightened risk posture. This emphasized the urgency of containing the disease, inhibiting spread from person to person. The country further declared a ‘Circuit Breaker’, implementing a stringent set of social distancing measures from 7th April 2020, extending to 1st June 2020.
KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) is Singapore’s largest hospital exclusively treating children and women with obstetrics and gynaecology (O&G) conditions. Its Urgent Obstetrics and Gynaecology Centre (UOGC) is a 24-hour walk-in centre for women with acute O&G conditions. Approximately 2,700 patients access this service every month. The COVID-19 outbreak has posed several challenges to UOGC’s daily operation, being one of the “gatekeepers” for the hospital. However, our centre was quick and dynamic in responding to the evolving outbreak in order to maintain continuity of care.