Singapore, Apr 30 () Singapore on Thursday announced 528 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of infections in the country to 16,169, a vast majority of whom are 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.
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. GS NSA