SINGAPORE: The current wave of COVID-19 cases, driven by the XBB strain, will likely peak by around mid-November, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on Saturday (Oct 15).
“This is likely to be a short and sharp wave,” said Mr Ong, saying that Singapore is likely to see about 15,000 daily cases on average.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) said that using the BA.5 wave as an indication, hospitalised cases peaked at 800 in July, and hospitals in Singapore, while stretched, were able to cope.
The proportion of cases with the XBB strain, an Omicron subvariant, has been on the rise in Singapore over the past month. While highly transmissible, it has not caused more severe disease than previous variants thus far.
On Oct 14, there were 9,087 new COVID-19 cases reported in Singapore and nine were in ICU. A total of 562 patients were hospitalised, with 44 requiring oxygen. The week-on-week infection ratio is 1.64.
In Singapore, XBB is now the predominant subvariant, accounting for 54 per cent of local cases from Oct 3 to 9. It was first detected in August in India and has since been detected in more than 17 countries, including Australia, Bangladesh, Denmark, Japan and the US, said MOH. The evidence is that XBB may be driving an increase in reinfections, Mr Ong said.
The proportion of reinfections among total COVID-19 cases in Singapore has been increasing over the past month, with reinfections currently making up about 17 per cent of total new cases.
Director of Medical Services Kenneth Mak said that while the number of coronavirus cases is rising, the number of severe cases and hospitalisations is not as high as in previous waves.
MOH said that in response to the surge over the past two weeks, public hospitals have rapidly activated various measures to operate about 200 more beds for COVID-19 patients.
These include deferring non-urgent admissions, discharging stable patients home or to nursing homes and transferring recovering patients to transitional care facilities and community hospitals.
In the coming two weeks, public hospitals will ramp up bed capacity for COVID-19 patients, and this is being done in stages - until 800 beds - by early November. Dr Mak added that members of the public are encouraged to only go to the emergency department for emergency conditions.
Mr Ong urged people in Singapore to exercise personal responsibility, reminding the public to monitor their health and to go for vaccinations if eligible.
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
Continue reading...
“This is likely to be a short and sharp wave,” said Mr Ong, saying that Singapore is likely to see about 15,000 daily cases on average.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) said that using the BA.5 wave as an indication, hospitalised cases peaked at 800 in July, and hospitals in Singapore, while stretched, were able to cope.
The proportion of cases with the XBB strain, an Omicron subvariant, has been on the rise in Singapore over the past month. While highly transmissible, it has not caused more severe disease than previous variants thus far.
On Oct 14, there were 9,087 new COVID-19 cases reported in Singapore and nine were in ICU. A total of 562 patients were hospitalised, with 44 requiring oxygen. The week-on-week infection ratio is 1.64.
In Singapore, XBB is now the predominant subvariant, accounting for 54 per cent of local cases from Oct 3 to 9. It was first detected in August in India and has since been detected in more than 17 countries, including Australia, Bangladesh, Denmark, Japan and the US, said MOH. The evidence is that XBB may be driving an increase in reinfections, Mr Ong said.
Related:
MORE HOSPITAL BEDS FOR COVID-19 PATIENTS
The proportion of reinfections among total COVID-19 cases in Singapore has been increasing over the past month, with reinfections currently making up about 17 per cent of total new cases.
Director of Medical Services Kenneth Mak said that while the number of coronavirus cases is rising, the number of severe cases and hospitalisations is not as high as in previous waves.
MOH said that in response to the surge over the past two weeks, public hospitals have rapidly activated various measures to operate about 200 more beds for COVID-19 patients.
These include deferring non-urgent admissions, discharging stable patients home or to nursing homes and transferring recovering patients to transitional care facilities and community hospitals.
In the coming two weeks, public hospitals will ramp up bed capacity for COVID-19 patients, and this is being done in stages - until 800 beds - by early November. Dr Mak added that members of the public are encouraged to only go to the emergency department for emergency conditions.
Mr Ong urged people in Singapore to exercise personal responsibility, reminding the public to monitor their health and to go for vaccinations if eligible.
BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
Continue reading...