Most of 49 new cases are migrant workers in dorms

There were 49 new coronavirus cases confirmed as at noon yesterday, the majority of them migrant workers in dormitories.

Those outside the dorms comprised one community and eight imported cases, said the Ministry of Health (MOH), in its daily update.

The sole community case is a 42-year-old work permit holder who is unlinked to the previous cases. This means it is not known where he got infected.

He was asymptomatic but was tested as part of the routine testing of workers in the construction, marine and process sectors who stay outside the dormitories.

Of the eight imported cases, two - a Singaporean and a permanent resident - had returned to Singapore from India.

Another four are work permit holders currently employed in Singapore who arrived from the Philippines on Aug 30.

The remaining cases are dependant's pass holders who arrived from India and the US.

All of them had been placed on 14-day stay-home notices (SHN) upon arrival and were tested while serving their SHN at dedicated facilities.

As for the migrant workers in dorms, cases continue to be detected.

Since the dorms were declared clear of Covid-19 a month ago, on Aug 11, an average of 45 workers have tested positive for the disease daily, MOH disclosed last Wednesday.

They were detected primarily through active surveillance testing, such as rostered routine testing, and aggressive tracing and testing when a new case is detected.

With 65 patients discharged as at noon yesterday from hospitals or community care facilities, a total of 56,749 have fully recovered from the infection.

There are 60 confirmed cases who are still in hospital. Most are stable or improving, and none is in the intensive care unit.

There are also 555 patients recuperating in community facilities. They comprise those who have mild symptoms or are clinically well but still test positive for Covid-19.

By the numbers

49

New cases

1

New cases in community

8

Imported cases

57,406

Total cases

27

Deaths

65

Discharged yesterday

60

Total in hospital

56,749

Total recovered