SG C19 HEADCOUNT UPDATE 2020-04-15
Dear migrant friends,
Last night, Singapore announced there was a ‘record’ 447 new COVID-19 cases, giving a total of 3,699 cases in total.
Of the 447, there were 404 cases diagnosed in the dormitories.
However, whilst we must take this seriously, we should not be overly anxious for two reasons:
Firstly, there has been much more testing of brothers in the dormitories. The more testing done, the more cases that will be detected.
Secondly, in the age groups you are in, COVID-19 is typically quite mild. In fact, a British study reported only “1.0% of people in their 20s, 3.4% of people aged 30-39 and 4.3% aged 40-49” would even require hospitalisation.
The majority of young patients can therefore be treated outside of the hospital. This is quite similar in Singapore: of the 1,496 cases still in hospital, only 26 are in the Intensive Care Unit; while another 1,540 are clinically well but still test positive and so need to remain isolated.
Nonetheless, we know this can be a stressful time for you. Rest assured that the Singapore authorities are fully committed to your safety and health and will do their very best for you.
Dr Benjamin Kuan (Head of Medical Services, HealthServe)
