• Sophia Archuleta, Gail Cross, Jyoti Somani, Lionel Lum, Amelia Santosa, Rawan A Alagha, David M Allen, Alicia Ang, Darius Beh, Louis Chai, Si Min Chan, See Ming Lim, Dariusz P Olszyna, Catherine Ong, Jolene Oon, Brenda M A Salada, Nares Smitasin, Louisa Sun, Paul A Tambyah, Sai Meng Tham, Gabriel Yan, Chen Hui Yee, Yock Young Dan, Roland Jureen, Nancy Tee, Malcolm Mahadevan, Ying Wei Yau, Swee Chye Quek, Eugene H Liu, Clara Sin, Natasha Bagdasarian, and Dale A Fisher.
• Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, National University Hospital, National University Health System, 1E Kent Ridge Road, NUHS Tower Block, Level 10, Singapore, 119228, Singapore. sophia@nus.edu.sg.
• Bmc Med. 2020 Jun 8; 18 (1): 179.

BackgroundOn January 30, COVID-19 was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern-a week after Singapore's first imported case and 5 days before local transmission. The National University Hospital (NUH) is Singapore's third largest hospital with 1200 beds, heavy clinical workloads, and major roles in research and teaching.Main BodyWith memories of SARS still vivid, there was an urgent requirement for the NUH Division of Infectious Diseases to adapt-undergoing major reorganization to face rapidly changing priorities while ensuring usual essential services and standards. Leveraging on individual strengths, our division mobilized to meet the demands of COVID-19 while engaging in high-level coordination, strategy, and advocacy. We present our experience of the 60 days since the nation's first case. During this time, our hospital has managed 3030 suspect cases, including 1300 inpatients, 37 confirmed cases, and overseen 4384 samples tested for COVID-19.ConclusionComplex hospital adaptations were supported by an unprecedented number of workflows and coordination channels essential to safe and effective operations. The actions we describe, aligned with international recommendations and emerging evidence-based best practices, may serve as a framework for other divisions and institutions facing the spread of COVID-19 globally.

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