Explainer | Coronavirus: why Singapore fears a ‘hidden reservoir’ of Covid-19 cases
- Coronavirus cases in the city state have ballooned past 10,000 from just 1,000 at the beginning of this month
- While four in five have been traced to migrant worker dormitories, there are also concerns about cases where the infection’s origin remains unknown
Almost 80 per cent of these infections are linked to migrant workers living in 43 mega-dormitories across the country. Equally worrying for authorities is that incidents of local transmission within the rest of the community are still occurring, despite a two-week partial lockdown in which schools have been closed and people told to stay at home as much as possible.
One statistic in particular is troubling: on average, the source of infection for 17 out of 25 new patients daily (who are Singaporeans or residents but not migrant workers living in dorms), cannot be found. This means about 68 per cent of community cases are considered “unlinked”, fuelling suspicions there is a “larger hidden reservoir” of cases within the rest of society.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned of this possibility on Tuesday when he announced the extension of “circuit breaker” measures till June 1.
UNLINKED CASES, WHAT ARE THEY?