Singapore confirms 142 new coronavirus infections in biggest daily jump

Singapore's Health Ministry confirmed 142 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday for a total of 1,623, the biggest daily increase yet, and said a seventh person had died after testing positive for the disease.

Forty of the new cases were linked to foreign worker dormitories. The Southeast Asian city state has quarantined workers in three dormitories after they were linked to several cases of the COVID-19 respiratory disease.. Tens of thousands of blue-collar foreign workers live within close quarters in various dormitories in Singapore and form a significant part of the labour force, working in sectors from construction to cleaning.

The wealthy city state also reported on Wednesday that a 32-year-old male had died in his home after being diagnosed with COVID-19. "Case 1604...had been swabbed... for COVID-19 on 7 April and was advised to stay at home, pending the test result. His chest X-ray indicated he did not have pneumonia. He passed away at his residence on 8 April, and was confirmed to have COVID-19 infection after his demise," the health ministry said in the statement, adding that investigations were continuing.

Singapore was one of the worst-hit countries when the virus first spread from China in January, but a strict surveillance and quarantine regime helped stem the tide. Recent spikes in locally transmitted cases have, however, raised fresh concerns.