596 COVID-19 cases reported on April 19, no imported cases

As of 12pm on April 19, Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed and verified an additional 596 cases of COVID-19 infection in the country.

There were zero imported cases, and 30 local transmissions in community. Of these, 25 are Singaporeans/Permanent Residents and five are Work Pass holders. 

Photo courtesy: Facebook/Lawrence Wong
Photo courtesy: Facebook/Lawrence Wong

Of the new cases, 68 per cent are linked to known clusters, while the rest are pending contact tracing.

The main increase today continues to be for Work Permit holders residing in dormitories. Most of these cases are young, have a mild illness and are being monitored in the community isolation facilities or general ward of the hospitals. 

MOH said in its press statement that the number of new cases in the community has decreased – from an average of 37 cases per day in the week before, to an average of 31 per day in the past week.

On the other hand, the number of unlinked cases in the community has increased slightly, from an average of 18 cases per day in the week before, to an average of 22 per day in the past week.