Migrant workers, who had been largely confined to dormitories and workplaces since the infections were discovered there earlier this year, are being allowed progressively more freedom.
Photographer: Roslan Rahman / AFP / Getty Images
Photographer: Roslan Rahman / AFP / Getty Images
Serological tests have revealed that almost half of the 323,000 migrant workers living in Singapore’s dormitories were infected with Covid-19, much higher than the official count and indicates that the virus is widespread among people who may not have any. symptom.
The city-state has it reported more than 54,500 bedroom infections since the pandemic began, accounting for more than 93% of all confirmed cases. Another 98,289 workers tested positive by serological tests, which identify those who had been infected in the past, contributing to an overall prevalence rate of 47%, according to a labor ministry statement Monday.
The finding is further evidence that Covid-19 infection is very large it is not widely detected and reflects the prevalence of the virus in very small worker accommodations. In neighboring Malaysia, which supplies about two-thirds of the world’s latex gloves, the government last month imposed a mandatory Covid-19 check on the country’s 1.7 million foreign workers.
For each Covid-19 infection in the dormitories detected through polymerase chain reaction testing, “another 1.8 cases were not tested and were not detected at that time and subsequently only by serological testing “. statement. “This is not surprising, as many migrant workers had no symptoms and therefore would not have sought treatment and received a PCR test in the process.”
Migrant workers, who had been largely confined to dormitories and workplaces since the infections were discovered there earlier this year, are being allowed progressively more freedom. At the peak of the outbreak in April, more than 1,000 cases a day were detected in these accommodations. Since then, strict blocking measures followed by an aggressive testing regime have reduced these numbers to zero or approached them.
Singapore recently announced that it would start a pilot program early next year to allow migrant workers from some dormitories access to the community once a month, provided testing requirements and device port contact location. The decision follows another in October that allows some migrant workers to visit recreation centers.
– With the assistance of Ravil Shirodkar