In the last two months alone, 33 COVID-19 deaths have been reported, nearly half the total death toll.

The recent spate of COVID-19 fatalities can be attributed to the rapid rise in new infections, which number over a thousand every day.

Sadly, three more COVID-19 patients died yesterday, one of whom was fully vaccinated.

Three COVID-19 Fatalities 

One of the fatalities was a 79-year-old Singaporean man who tested positive for COVID-19 on 8 Sep. He ended up succumbing to the disease yesterday (24 Sep).

The man had a history of pulmonary hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Graves’ disease, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. He was not vaccinated against COVID-19.

An 83-year-old Singaporean man also passed away yesterday from COVID-19. He had been fully vaccinated and tested positive for COVID-19 infection on 14 Sep.

He had a history of diabetes mellitus, restrictive lung disease, hypertension, and hyperlipidaemia which, together with his advanced age, made him more susceptible to severe illness, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said.

The third fatality, an 86-year-old Singaporean man, tested positive for COVID-19 on 16 Sep. He too, died from the disease yesterday.

He had also been fully vaccinated against the disease, but had a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ischaemic heart disease, bronchiectasis, and hypertension.

This, coupled with his advanced age, made him, too, more susceptible to severe illness.

With these three deaths, our death toll has risen to 73. 18 deaths have been reported in September so far, equalling August’s toll.

1,650 Local Cases

The surge in locally transmitted cases is also showing no signs of abating, as 1,650 local infections were reported yesterday.

They are made up of 1,369 community cases and 277 dormitory residents.

Among the local cases, 391 are seniors above the age of 60.

In addition, four imported cases were detected; two tested positive upon arrival in Singapore, while the other two developed the illness during quarantine.

No New Large Clusters; Existing Clusters Grow

Though no new large clusters were identified by MOH, several of our existing clusters grew.

This includes the Windsor Convalescent Home which grew to 34 cases after four more were detected yesterday. Of the 34 cases, 32 are residents and two are staff.

The cluster at the Blue Stars Dormitory also swelled to 219 infections yesterday, after 49 more infections were linked to the dorm. There’s no evidence of spread beyond the dormitory.

One more infection was added to the Toa Payoh Lorong 8 Market and Food Centre cluster as well, which now has 52 cases.

In total, the health ministry is closely monitoring 10 large COVID-19 clusters with new cases.

1,092 COVID-19 Cases in Hospitals; 23 In ICU

At the moment, there are 1,092 COVID-19 cases in the hospitals, most of whom are well and under observation.

162 severe cases require oxygen supplementation and 23 are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

Of these serious cases, 151 are seniors above the age of 60.

Over the last four weeks, 98% of the local cases were either asymptomatic or had mild symptoms.

As of Thursday (23 Sep), 82% of our population has been fully vaccinated. 84% have received at least one dose.

Tighter COVID-19 Restrictions 

With over a thousand new cases being reported every day, it was only a matter of time before the authorities tightened COVID-19 restrictions.

Social gatherings will now be limited to two participants, down from the previous five. Residents can only have two unique visitors a day, and only one social gathering a day is permitted.

While there’s no change in dining-in measures at hawker centres and coffee shops, only groups of up to two will be allowed to dine in at restaurants. They must be fully vaccinated, of course.

In addition, working from home will be the default, while home-based learning for primary and special education schools has also be extended as a precaution.

The tightened restrictions are expected to go on until 24 Oct.

Understand the importance of vaccination here:

Read Also: 

• 13 Updates You Need to Know About the COVID-19 Press Conference Held on 24 Sept
• NTUC Fairprice Comes up with Punny Food Names that Match S’pore’s Street Names

Featured Image: kandl stock / Shutterstock.com