2 elderly S'porean men die; most of 799 new coronavirus cases are workers in dorms

Two Singaporean men, aged 82 and 81, died from complications due to Covid-19 infection on April 27, 2020. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

Two more patients died from Covid-19 complications yesterday, bringing the total number of coronavirus-related deaths here to 14.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said yesterday that the two patients were an 82-year-old Singaporean man who tested positive on April 8, and an 81-year-old Singaporean man who tested positive on April 20.

MOH said the National Centre for Infectious Diseases has contacted the men's families and is extending assistance to them.

Meanwhile, there were 799 new coronavirus cases yesterday, of whom 764 are foreign workers living in dormitories.

The increase is due to extensive testing of such workers, most of whom have a mild illness or are being monitored in the community isolation facilities or general wards in hospitals.

None of them is in the intensive care unit, said MOH.

Foreign workers not living in dorms made up 17 of the new cases.

The number of such cases has continued to increase to an average of 24 per day in the past week from an average of 23 cases per day in the week before.

There are now 12,183 foreign workers from dorms diagnosed with Covid-19, or 3.8 per cent of the 323,000 dorm residents here.

There were also 18 new cases in the community, including 14 Singaporeans and permanent residents, as well as four work pass holders.

The number of new cases in the community has decreased to an average of 20 per day in the past week from an average of 29 cases per day in the week before, said MOH.

The number of unlinked cases in the community has also fallen to an average of 13 per day in the past week from an average of 19 cases per day in the week before.

There were no imported cases.

MOH also announced seven new coronavirus clusters, including Acacia Home in Admiralty, where 12 residents and two employees have tested positive at the welfare home.

The other six new clusters are linked to Hai Leck Engineering in Tuas; Lingjack Dormitory in Woodlands; 9 Gul Street 1; 3 Senoko Link; 44 Toh Guan Road East; and 2 Woodlands Industrial Park E1.

Singapore's largest active clu-ster remains the S11 Dormitory in Punggol, which has 2,286 confirmed cases.

With yesterday's figures, the total number of Covid-19 cases in Singapore stands at 14,423.

About half of the total new cases are linked to known clusters, while the rest are pending contact tracing.

MOH also said yesterday that 35 more patients have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities. In all, 1,095 people have fully recovered.

Currently, 1,451 patients are still in hospital. Most are stable or improving, while 20 are in critical condition.

Another 11,863 patients, who have mild symptoms or are clinically well but still test positive for the virus, have been isolated and are being cared for at community facilities.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 28, 2020, with the headline 2 elderly S'porean men die; most of 799 new coronavirus cases are workers in dorms. Subscribe