Singapore records 262 new coronavirus cases

Singapore, Jun 21 () Singapore on Sunday recorded 262 new coronavirus cases, taking the tally to 42,095, as health authorities said that the number of positive cases has picked up among foreign workers staying in dormitories due to extensive testing.

The Health Ministry said that the number of new cases in the community has decreased from an average of eight two weeks ago to four in the past week, the Straits Times reported.

In the same period, the average number of unlinked community cases per day has fallen from three cases to two, it said.

Of the new 262 cases reported on Sunday, nine are community cases, of whom three are Singaporeans or permanent residents and six are work pass holders, the Health Ministry said, adding that the rest of the cases are migrant workers living in dormitories.

On Saturday, the ministry said that only one COVID-19 patient is in critical condition in the intensive care unit (ICU). Before that, there was only one such patient in ICU on June 13, and two since June 14.

The number of such patients in ICU has been on a decline since it peaked on April 10 with 32. Meanwhile, two new community cases confirmed on Saturday were asymptomatic and one of them was a 46-year-old Indian national, who works in Singapore's essential services.

The other one was a 34-year-old Bangladeshi man who is a contact of four other confirmed cases, and had already been quarantined at a government quarantine facility.

They tested positive in serological tests, which indicate likely past infections, said the ministry.

The Indian national, who is unlinked to previous cases, was picked up as a result of proactive screening and surveillance, and was tested as he works in essential services.

Singapore has had 26 deaths from COVID-19 complications, while 10 who tested positive have died of other causes. GS PMS PMS