SINGAPORE is looking to more-than-double its facilities for housing coronavirus patients by the end of June, and to provide different facilities for patients who are at different stages of the illness.

There are currently more than 18,000 beds for isolation and care needs, with another 23,000 in the pipeline.

These facilities are mostly outside of hospitals and designed for those with mild cases of Covid-19 or those who do not require as much medical attention. About 30 per cent of the cases need more medical observation, said Health minister Gan Kim Yong at a virtual briefing on Tuesday. He is co-chair of a multi-ministry task force set up to deal with the novel coronavirus,

During the briefing, officials outlined four types of facilities tailored to the needs of each Covid-19 patient:

♦ Swab Isolation Facilities: There are now 4,000 bed spaces at these facilities, which are for patients waiting for the results of a swab test. Another 3,000 beds are in the pipeline.

♦ Dorm Isolation Facilities: These are for patients who have tested negative for Covid-19, but may have other illnesses. These facilities, which hold more than 2,600 beds, are designed to prevent the spread of other illnesses. Patients at these facilities may be isolated for up to five days.

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♦ Community Care Facilities: These are for Covid-19 patients with mild symptoms and lower risk factors. The number of bed spaces in this category will be doubled from 10,000 to 20,000 by mid-June. These beds are now housed at D'Resort, Singapore Expo and Changi Exhibition Centre. 

♦ Community Recovery Facilities: There are 2,000 bed spaces in these facilities, which are for patients who remain well on Day 14 of the illness and do not require further medical care. These will be increased to 10,000 bed spaces by end-June.

Meanwhile, some 3,000 healthcare professionals across all job groups have signed up as volunteers for the SG Healthcare Corps, which was launched on April 7, Mr Gan said. The number includes those from the private sector and former healthcare professionals who have come out of retirement.

Mr Gan said the SG Healthcare Corps will be expanded to include non-healthcare professionals who are keen to volunteer as well.