Covid-19: 2 more pre-school staff test positive; 642 new cases on Saturday
PHOTO: The Straits Times file
PUBLISHED ONMay 23, 2020 2:49 PMByKimberly Anne Lim[UPDATE May 24, 2.50pm]
The authorities have clarified information about two pre-school staff who tested positive and we have updated this article accordingly.
[UPDATE 10.48pm]
The Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed 642 new coronavirus cases in Singapore today (May 23). Out of these, 631 are cases involving work permit holders residing in dormitories.
There are 11 new cases in the community: five Singaporeans, one Permanent Resident, three Work Pass holders and two Work Permit holders.
The number of new cases in the community has increased from an average of five cases per day in the week before to an average of seven per day in the past week.
The number of unlinked cases in the community has also increased from an average of one case per day in the week before to an average of two per day in the past week.
This is partly due to the active surveillance and screening of nursing home residents and pre-school staff, which have picked up more cases in the past week, MOH said.
One of the new cases is a 24-year-old Filipino woman who went to work at PCF Sparkletots @ Gambas after her swab test.
Another new case is a 54-year-old Singaporean woman who went to work at Shaws Preschool @ Lorong Chuan also after her swab test.
Both cases are unlinked and were confirmed on May 22 as a result of proactive screening of preschool staff, MOH said.
Of the 711 cases who are still in the hospital, most are stable and improving. Eight are in critical condition, while 16,452 cases who are clinically well but still test positive for Covid-19 are isolated and cared for at community facilities.
MOH also announced that 927 more cases of Covid-19 infection have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities. In all, 13,882 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities.
This brings the total number of cases to 31,068, with 13,882 patients discharged and 23 deaths.
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