[ad_1]
Singapore reported 931 new cases of Covid-19 coronavirus disease on Sunday, bringing its total to 13,624. Most of the new infections come from the dorms of foreign workers, which have been closed as the government struggles to stem the outbreak.
Fifteen of the new cases are permanent residents, the health ministry said in the statement.
The number of new cases increased from 618 reported on Saturday.
The small country of 5.7 million people now has one of the highest infection rates in Asia, according to official figures, due to outbreaks in narrow dormitories that house more than 3,000,000, mainly South Asian workers.
The city-state is rapidly building space for coronavirus patient beds in cavernous exhibition halls and other temporary facilities, as it faces an increase in cases, primarily among its large community of low-wage migrant workers.
One such facility at the Changi Exhibition Center, home of the Singapore Air Show, the largest aerospace gathering in Asia, could house more than 4,000 patients recovering from the disease and those with mild symptoms.
Singapore follows only China, India, Japan and Pakistan in Asia in terms of the number of coronavirus infections. More than 10,000 of those infected, about 80 percent of their total, are foreign workers, many of whom have been placed in “isolation facilities” for people with mild symptoms, such as conference centers.
Despite the high total of cases, Singapore has reported 12 deaths and 24 people are in intensive care.
At Changi’s new isolation center, each room has blood pressure monitors and other medical equipment for patients to conduct their own health checks three times a day, while remotely controlled robots provide meals and teleconferencing services to reduce the contact.
Rows of white shacks are also gathering in haste at the Tanjong Pagar shipping container port. The facility could house up to 15,000 foreign workers, local media reported, but authorities have not yet decided how it will be used.
[ad_2]
