Chinese man becomes Singapore’s first migrant worker to die from coronavirus
- The man was diagnosed with lymphoma, a type of cancer, which was complicated by multi-organ failure while he had been warded in the intensive care unit
- The conditions at migrant worker dormitories, which house some 300,000 of the country’s 1 million low-wage workers, have been cited as a factor in infections
The man was diagnosed with lymphoma, a type of cancer, which was complicated by multi-organ failure while he had been warded in the intensive care unit, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Monday.
“Despite being treated for lymphoma, his condition had deteriorated and he subsequently passed on,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that the man was confirmed to have Covid-19 on May 1. “The National University Hospital has reached out to his family and is extending assistance to them.”
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) expressed its deepest condolences to the deceased’s family, adding that the family members, employer and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China have been informed of the man’s death.
MOM said that the man started working in Singapore in 2001, and had worked as a foreman under his current employer for close to a year and had no employment issues.
MOM added it was working with the Migrant Workers’ Centre, a non-governmental organisation, to provide financial assistance to the man’s family to tide over their immediate needs.
“The employer will also be assisting the family members on the funeral arrangements,” MOM said.