The Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed 1,037 new Covid-19 cases in Singapore today (23 Apr).
25 are Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents (PRs), while the 1,016 others are Work Permit holders.
Unlinked local transmissions have dropped slightly, from an average of 20 to 18 per day, perhaps a positive effect of ‘Circuit Breaker‘ measures.
In general, community cases have been decreasing, from 34 to 25 daily cases over the past week.
Unfortunately, majority of the cases or close to 95% still come from workers’ dormitories, making up for 982 of those reported today.
Aggressive testing, including on asymptomatic individuals, is one of the reasons for the continuous surge in numbers.
Thankfully, most are mild, and are receiving treatment at community care facilities or general hospital wards.
MOH reveals that 75% trace back to existing clusters, while contact tracing is ongoing for the rest.
6 new clusters have formed, four of which are at workers’ dormitories:
The other 2 appear to be in industrial areas, namely:
After news that several McDonald’s staff tested positive for Covid-19 prior to their inevitable closure, a rise in infections among Work Permit holders residing in accommodations other than dormitories seemed to brew.
MOH verified the pattern by stating that cases among this group have risen from 16 to 30 per day over the past 2 weeks.
Today alone, 30 of them make up the new daily case count.
While the man who died mysteriously at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital early Thursday (23 Apr) morning was a Covid-19 patient, his death is still under investigation.
Authorities thus didn’t consider him a 13th fatality, keeping Singapore’s mortality rate at 12. 26 patients are in critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
36 others have successfully recovered and been discharged from hospital.
As we go into a longer ‘Circuit Breaker’ period, the fall in community infections is a promising sign. However, completely curbing the spread may take a lot more time and effort, so let’s do our best to cooperate till the situation subsides.
Featured image adapted from Bangkok Post.
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