Singapore has entered a fresh wave of COVID-19 infections, with over 25,900 cases reported between May 5 and 11. The number of cases is nearly doubling each week, prompting the government to issue a health advisory recommending mask-wearing.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) said, the estimated number of COVID-19 infections in the week of May 5 to 11 rose to 25,900 – a 90% increase compared with the 13,700 cases in the previous week.
The average daily COVID-19 hospitalisations rose to about 250 from 181 the week before, the MOH added.
“We are at the beginning part of the wave where it is steadily rising,” said Ong. “So, I would say the wave should peak in the next two to four weeks, which means between mid- and end of June,” Singapore daily The Straits Times quoted Health Minister Ong Ye Kung as saying.
According to the health ministry, the average daily count of intensive care cases remained at three, which is consistent with the previous week’s figure of two.
“MOH is closely tracking the trajectory of this wave,” the ministry said.
In an effort to preserve hospital bed capacity, public hospitals in Singapore have been instructed to decrease non-urgent elective surgeries.
Instead, suitable patients are being transferred to transitional care facilities or allowed to receive care at home through the Mobile Inpatient Care@Home program—a novel inpatient care approach that enables clinically eligible patients to be hospitalized in their own residences rather than in a traditional hospital ward.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung has advised individuals with mild symptoms or no medical vulnerabilities to avoid seeking treatment at hospital Emergency Departments.
Instead, he recommends that elderly persons, medically vulnerable individuals, and residents of aged care facilities consider receiving an additional dose of the COVID-19 vaccine if they haven’t done so in the past 12 months.
PTI quoted the health minister as saying, If COVID-19 cases double once, Singapore’s healthcare system can accommodate 500 patients. However, if cases double a second time, the hospital system will face a significant burden with 1,000 patients.
He stated there are no plans for social restrictions or other mandatory measures for now, as COVID-19 is treated as an endemic disease in Singapore, and imposing additional measures would be a last resort.
JN.1 and its sub-lineages, including KP.1 and KP.2, remain the dominant COVID-19 variants worldwide. In Singapore, KP.1 and KP.2 collectively constitute more than two-thirds of the reported cases.
Recently, the World Health Organization designated KP.2 as a variant under surveillance. Currently, there is no evidence globally or locally suggesting that KP.1 and KP.2 are more transmissible or cause more severe illness than other circulating variants.
ALSO READ | Saudi Arabia Reports 3 MERS Coronavirus Cases, Including 1 Fatality