SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Health (MOH) on Wednesday (15 April) reported a record 447 more COVID-19 cases in Singapore and four new clusters, taking its total to 3,699.

Three of the four new clusters are linked to foreign worker dormitories: 10 Kian Teck Crescent dormitory, Kian Teck Dormitory at 26 Kian Teck Avenue, and Mandai Lodge at 460 Mandai Road. The fourth new cluster is linked to 234 Balestier Road.

The announcement also marks the sixth consecutive day with no imported cases and comes two days after the city-state reported a previous record daily high of 386 new cases.

The ages of the 447 new cases range from seven to 87 years old. Of them, 409 are work permit holders with all but five residing in foreign worker dorms.

View photos (SOURCE: MOH) More

“The number of new cases among work permit holders has increased significantly, from an average of 48 cases per day in the week before, to 260 cases per day in the past week, especially with our ongoing efforts to undertake more active testing of the workers,” said the ministry.

About 68 per cent of the new cases are linked to known clusters, while the rest are pending contact tracing.

A total of 38 others are linked to previous cases. “In the past two weeks, the number of new cases in the community has remained stable, with an average of 36 cases per day,” said the MOH.

Separately, an 80-year-old Malaysian man, identified as no. 3381 and one of 447 new cases, died on Tuesday from causes unrelated to COVID-19.

The ministry said the man had been tested for the virus after his demise under the MOH’s enhanced surveillance, and his results came back positive.

Last Wednesday, a 32-year-old male Indian national, who held a Singapore long-term pass, died while awaiting test results for the virus. While his results came back positive, the man had died from ischaemic heart disease and not complications from COVID-19, the ministry said then.

(For more details on the breakdown of the clusters, read here.)

(For more on the 447 cases, read here.)

41 more patients discharged, 26 in ICU

The MOH on Wednesday confirmed that 41 more patients have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities, bringing the total of recovered cases to 652.

Most of the 1,496 hospitalised cases are stable or improving, while 26 are in critical condition in the intensive care unit, down from 28 on Tuesday.

A total of 1,540 cases who are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19 are isolated and cared for at community facilities.

Ten have died from complications due to COVID-19 infection, including a 70-year-old Singaporean man on Tuesday.

Wednesday’s cluster additions mean at least 23 of them linked to foreign worker dormitories have been identified thus far, including the largest cluster of 797 cases linked to S11 Dormitory@Punggol.

As of Tuesday noon, the MOH said it has identified 30,646 close contacts who have been quarantined. Of these, 12,797 are currently quarantined, and 17,849 have completed their quarantine.

In the MOH’s latest daily situation report, 7,700 of 65,300 issued stay-home notices remain active.

Measures to combat spread of coronavirus

The COVID-19 Temporary Measures Act, passed in Parliament last Tuesday, gives authorities the power to ban events and gatherings, or impose conditions on how they are conducted, during the “circuit breaker” period from 7 April to 4 May.

Those caught flouting the enhanced safe distancing measures for the first time will be given a composition fine of $300, and a $1,000 fine for the second time.

Egregious cases will be prosecuted in court. A first-time offender who is prosecuted under the Act can face a maximum fine of $10,000, or a jail term of up to six months, or both. A second-time or subsequent offender can face a maximum fine of $20,000, or a jail term of up to a year, or both.