Over half of 191 new coronavirus cases in Singapore are unlinked so far

Singapore reported 191 new cases of Covid-19 infection yesterday, with more than half of these local cases not linked to other patients or clusters, the highest figure in the past week.

Such unlinked cases have been a concern for policymakers, who have been trying to slow the increase in their numbers.

With the new cases, there are now 2,299 cases here, according to latest figures released by the Ministry of Health.

A 90-year-old Singaporean man died from complications due to the infection yesterday morning, the eighth such death here.

He was a locally transmitted and unlinked case. He was confirmed to have the coronavirus on April 3 and was warded at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases.

Three newly identified clusters, all at foreign worker dormitories - Westlite Woodlands dormitory, North Coast Lodge and Cassia @ Penjuru - were reported as well.

The S11 Dormitory also added 29 more patients and remains the largest virus cluster here with 335 cases now.

The Government also placed two more worker dormitories under isolation - Cochrane Lodge 1 and Acacia Lodge. Cochrane Lodge 1 is linked to an existing cluster of coronavirus cases here.

There are now seven dormitories declared as isolation areas, meaning workers at these lodgings must be quarantined in their rooms for 14 days.

Most of the new cases announced yesterday are unlinked for now, and contact tracing is under way for these 119 cases.

In the past week, daily unlinked figures have been below 100.

There are 52 cases linked to known clusters, of which 51 were linked to foreign worker dormitory clusters. Another 20 patients are linked to other cases.

No imported cases were reported.

Another 35 patients have also been discharged.

To date, a total of 528 cases have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities.

Of the 943 confirmed cases who are still in hospital, most are stable or improving, while 31 are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

A total of 820 cases who are clinically well but still test positive for Covid-19 are isolated and cared for at community facilities.

The Manpower Ministry also advised employers of foreign workers to ensure that workers continue to receive their salaries during the circuit breaker period.

All employers with workers in dormitories must also now pay salaries electronically.