Singapore Boosts Virus Testing Capacity as Cases Top 14,000

Daily testing capacity more than doubled since early April
Overwhelming number of cases come from migrant dormitories

A healthcare worker collects a nasal swab sample from a migrant worker for testing in Singapore on April 27.Photographer: Roslan Rahman/AFP via Getty Images

Provide news feedback or report an error

Confidential tip?

Send a tip to our reporters

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

By Philip Heijmans and Chester Yung

April 28, 2020 at 2:48 AM UTC

Updated on

April 28, 2020 at 4:07 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

As part of Singapore’s strategy to bring down coronavirus infections in the weeks to come, the government said it has more than doubled its daily testing capacity since early April even as the number of cases jumped beyond 14,000.

Once touted as an early success in containing the spread of the virus, Singapore now has Asia’s highest number of coronavirus cases after China and India. Much of the surge in infections has been driven by hundreds of new cases from migrant worker dorms daily.