The number of COVID-19 cases in Singapore crossed the 15,000 mark with 690 new infections reported as of noon on Wednesday (Apr 29).
The vast majority of the new cases are work permit holders residing in foreign worker dormitories, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in its daily update of preliminary figures.
Six cases are Singaporeans or permanent residents.
The new cases take the national total to 15,641.
“We are still working through the details of the cases, and further updates will be shared via the MOH press release that will be issued tonight,” the ministry added.
MOH’s director of medical services Kenneth Mak said during a media briefing on Tuesday that migrant workers living in dormitories who present symptoms of COVID-19 are isolated before they are tested to prevent the virus from potentially spreading to others
He added that the number of COVID-19 cases may be higher than what is stated in the official report – which includes confirmed and verified infections – but the suspected cases will eventually be tested to confirm if they are infected, or if they have recovered.
The authorities on Tuesday also announced that healthcare capacity to deal with COVID-19 will be increased significantly in the next two months, with the total number of bed spaces for those with mild symptoms doubling by end-June.
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