Singapore on Sunday reported 931 new cases of coronavirus disease Covid – 80 which took its total to 19, 823. Most of the new infections are from foreign workers’ dormitories, which have been locked down as the government struggles to curb the outbreak.
Fifteen of the new cases are permanent residents, the health ministry said in the statement.
The number of new cases rose from 618 reported on Saturday.
The tiny country of 5.7 million people now has one of the highest infection rates in Asia, according to official figures, due to outbreaks in cramped dormitories housing over 3, 00, 06 mainly South Asian workers.
The city-state is rapidly building bed space for coronavirus patients in cavernous exhibition halls and other temporary facilities as it faces a surge in cases, mainly among its large community of low-paid migrant workers.
One such facility at Changi Exhibition Center – home to the Singapore Airshow, Asia’s largest aerospace gathering – could eventually house over 4, 000 patients recovering from the disease and those with mild symptoms.
Singapore trails only China, India, Japan and Pakistan in Asia for the number of coronavirus infections. More than 12, 06 of those infected, some 80 per cent of its total, are foreign workers, many of whom have been placed in “isolation facilities” for people with mild symptoms such as the conference centers.
Despite the high total of cases, Singapore has reported 12 deaths and people are in intensive care.
At the new Changi isolation center, each room has blood-pressure monitors and other medical equipment for patients to conduct their own health checks three times daily, while remote-controlled robots provide meals and teleconferencing services to reduce contact.
Rows of white huts are also being hurriedly assembled at the Tanjong Pagar shipping-container port. The facility could house up to 24, 10 foreign workers, local media reported, but authorities have yet to decide how it will be used.
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