Singapore recorded 447 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday — the largest single-day increase since the outbreak began in the country, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.
The new cases bring the country’s total number of reported cases to 3,699.
Among the new cases, 404 have been linked to known clusters, of which the vast majority are foreign workers residing in dormitories, the ministry said.
In the same news statement, the ministry said the average number of new daily cases has increased significantly “from 48 cases per day last week, to 260 cases per day in the past week.”
Last week, Singapore announced it would move foreign workers into alternative living arrangements such as military camps and vacant government apartments amid a spike in cases. CNN’s Anna Kam in Hong Kong reports.
Japan reports nearly 500 new infections
Japan has recorded 488 new coronavirus infections and 17 additional deaths, the country’s health ministry said Thursday.
That brings the country’s total number of reported infections to 9,294, including 712 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. CNN’s Yoko Wakatsuki in Tokyo reported.
The total death toll is 148, including 12 from the cruise ship.
The background: Much of Japan entered a state of emergency last week, after initially appearing to have the outbreak under control.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has faced criticism for not activating emergency measures earlier, as experts warned the true number of cases could be far higher than the official statistics suggest, due to a lack of widespread testing.
Abe has also been accused of being tone-deaf after he posted a video of himself relaxing at home as people across the country struggle to work from home.
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