Singapore reports 528 new COVID-19 cases

Singapore on Thursday announced 528 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of infections in the country to 16,169, with a majority of them being foreigners.

Six coronavirus cases were Singapore citizens and permanent residents (foreigners).

Foreign workers living in dormitories continue to form the bulk of the cases, said the Health Ministry.

A 58-year-old woman also died on Thursday from complications due to COVID-19 infection, bringing the total number of such deaths in the country to 15, said the ministry.

She was confirmed to have the virus on March 26.

In the new infection cases, 31 are foreign workers who were living outside dormitories.

Twelve new clusters were declared, including one linked to the Institute of Mental Health.

Singapore Parliament will hear issues related to the COVID-19 outbreak on Monday.

Members of Parliament have submitted questions ranging from issues to do with COVID-19 testing, living conditions in foreign worker dormitories and the lifting of current "circuit breaker" measures, Channel News Asia reported on Thursday.

One of the questions to be tabled will be asking for a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the high incidences of COVID-19 among foreign workers, and how their living conditions may have led to the spread of the disease.

The Government will also provide updates on Singapore's response to the outbreak, with Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong and Manpower Minister Josephine Teo delivering ministerial statements on the issue.

Singapore has taken the fight against the coronavirus to the next level, with a major effort to determine the extent of COVID-19 infection among the population and where weak links exist, The Straits Times reported on Thursday.

A key focus is to find out how many have been infected but did not show any symptoms and were therefore not tested for the virus.

The National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), which is spearheading the initiative, said this is being done using what is referred to as serology tests to analyse a person's antibodies to determine whether or not someone had been infected.

Singapore is believed to be among the first in the world to use such tests on a large scale, to hopefully show whether precautionary measures, such as safe distancing and mandatory mask-wearing, are effective and adequate.

The results would also help policymakers understand how different groups, such as front-line healthcare workers, have been affected.