SINGAPORE: Singapore reported 465 new COVID-19 cases as of noon on Saturday (May 16), taking the country's total to 27,356.
The majority are work permit holders residing in foreign worker dormitories, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) in its preliminary update, adding that more details will be released later tonight.
AdvertisementAdvertisementFour cases are Singaporean or permanent residents.
[h=3]READ: 18 COVID-19 positive patients discharged from D'Resort after determined to be no longer infective to others - MOH[/h]Earlier on Saturday, MOH said it had released 18 patients from the D'Resort community care facility, who had been staying there for "prolonged periods".
The 18 were "clinically very well" yet "persistently tested positive" for COVID-19, said the ministry.
AdvertisementAdvertisementA medical review committee "deliberated on each of these cases individually and determined that the patients are shedding dead viral components, detectable through the PCR test, but which are no longer transmissible and infective to others", said MOH.
[h=3]READ: Number of COVID-19 community cases 'likely' to go up as circuit breaker measures are eased - Gan Kim Yong[/h]Singapore has less than a month of its "circuit breaker" period left to go. Until Jun 1, all workplaces will remain shut except for those providing essential services. Residents are also barred from leaving their homes except to exercise alone or for basic necessities.
At a press conference held by the multi-ministry task force dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak on Friday, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said circuit breaker measures need to be lifted "carefully and slowly", warning that community cases will "likely" increase with the easing of some restrictions.
"Because if we are not careful, the number of cases will spike up and you may have big clusters forming again," he said.
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