09/04/2020 11:05 PM
By Massita Ahmad
SINGAPORE, April 9 -- Singapore today reported 287 new cases of COVID-19 in the republic, the biggest daily upsurge so far with the majority linked to foreign worker dorms, bringing the tally to 1,910.
Ministry of Health (MOH) director of Medical Services Assoc Prof Kenneth Mak said of the new cases, 219 were linked to existing clusters.
“At least 160 cases are from the S11 Dormitory @ Punggol,” he said during a virtual multi-ministry task force for COVID-19 situation press conference.
S11 dorm at Seletar North Link is one of the four dorms which are gazetted as isolation areas.
Mak said a preliminary link was established between the cluster at the Mustafa Centre department store, the Project Glory construction site as well as five other dorms.
“Many of these cases started with a cluster at Mustafa. We believed that the workers have visited Mustafa and they subsequently transmitted the infection to their co-workers either at the Project Glory or within dorms that they lived in," he said.
"Transmission most likely occurred through close contact, for example at meal times, during breaks and also among co-workers at work due to physical proximity at work sites,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mak said three of the latest cases were imported and 19 were linked to other cases while 46 were currently unlinked.
Updating on the confirmed cases, Mak said 884 remained in hospitals including 29 in the intensive care units, 314 cases had been discharged from acute care, and 705 cases had been moved to a community isolation facility.
To date, Singapore recorded six fatalities due to COVID-19.
MOH said investigations were ongoing to establish the cause of death of a 32-year-old Indian national who died after taking a swab test and was confirmed to have COVID-19 after his passing.
-- BERNAMA
