A Bangladeshi worker who was placed in intensive care unit (ICU) for COVID-19 complications has escaped critical condition and has been transferred to the general ward, according to Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC).
MWC in a statement on Thu night (16 Apr) said that while the 39-year-old man, referred to as Case 42, “is able to breathe on his own”, he will “require speech therapy moving forward as part of his recovery process”.
“We have spoken with the family and the employer regarding this very encouraging and happy development and can report that all concerned are overjoyed.
“On behalf of the family and the employer the MWC would like to thank all well-wishers and benefactors for their prayers and contributions during the worker’s time in hospital,” said MWC.
MWC also expressed immense gratitude to the “medical professionals who have cared for our brother throughout his hospital stay and made his progress so far possible”.
“Kudos to our wonderful doctors and nurses,” said MWC.
Prior to contracting COVID-19, Case 42 was already suffering from pneumonia as well as respiratory and kidney issues, according to the Bangladesh High Commission in Singapore.
Case 42 garnered wider public attention last month after MWC revealed that his wife had given birth to their firstborn, a baby boy, in Bangladesh while he was still in ICU.
Members of the public had donated diapers, formula milk and toys to his wife through a donation drive soon after.
Record high of 728 new cases on Thu noon
The Ministry of Health the same day announced that it has verified and confirmed 728 new cases of COVID-19 infection as of Thursday (16 April), 12pm.
This brings the total number of infected cases in Singapore to 4,427.
31 more patients have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities, bringing the total of recovered cases to 683.
On Wednesday, most of the 1,496 hospitalised cases are stable or improving.
26 are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
A total of 1,540 cases who are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19 are isolated and cared for at community facilities.
Ten have died from complications due to COVID-19 infection.
At least 23 clusters linked to foreign worker dormitories have been identified thus far, including the largest cluster of 797 cases linked to S11 Dormitory @ Punggol.
