618 new Covid-19 cases, taking total to 12,693

[SINGAPORE] The Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed another 618 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, taking the total count of coronavirus cases here to 12,693.

The ministry said that Singaporeans and permanent residents make up seven of the new cases, with migrant workers living in dormitories still forming the majority as in recent weeks.

More details of the new cases will be provided later on Saturday.

On Friday, the ministry reported 897 new cases, the first time in five days the daily numbers had fallen below 1,000.

About 3 per cent, or 9,929, of the 323,000 migrant workers living in dormitories have tested positive, putting the spotlight on their living conditions in these dormitories.

The MOH had said that it picked up many more cases in dormitories because of extensive testing. Most of these cases have a mild illness and are being monitored in community isolation facilities or the general wards of hospitals.

Singapore's largest active cluster remains S11 Dormitory in Punggol, which has 2,263 confirmed cases as of Friday - about one-fifth of the country's total.

MOH noted on Friday that the daily number of Singaporeans and permanent residents infected as of Friday noon - 13 - was the lowest since March 29.

Unlinked cases in the community had also decreased from a daily average of 20 two weeks ago to 17 cases in the past week.

As of Friday, 952 patients in Singapore have fully recovered and were discharged. Twelve have died of complications due to Covid-19 and four who tested positive have died from other causes.

Globally, the virus, which began in December last year, has infected nearly 2.8 million people. Some 196,000 have died.