If you’ve been following our daily case count closely, you’d notice that it tends to fall over the weekend and go up again on Tuesday.

This is why Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said he tends to feel anxious on Tuesdays.

However, no one expected the large drop in cases that we observed yesterday.

2,470 New COVID-19 Cases

2,470 new COVID-19 cases were reported yesterday (1 Nov), a decrease of 693 from the previous day’s tally.

The cases comprise 2,189 infections in the community, 278 in migrant worker dormitories, and three imported infections.

Among the local cases are 407 seniors above 60.

Sadly, while the number of new cases dropped, the number of deaths reported increased.

14 COVID-19 Fatalities 

14 more COVID-19 cases passed away from complications, bringing our death toll to 421

Aged between 56 and 95, all of them had various underlying medical conditions, except one unvaccinated individual, according to the Ministry of Health (MOH).

MOH Closely Monitoring 6 Large Clusters

MOH is monitoring six large clusters with new cases at present, the largest of which is at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH). With 11 new cases, it now has 278 infections in total, comprising 262 patients and 16 staff members.

Seven more cases were also linked to the Jamiyah Home for the Aged in Tampines, bringing its total to 44. 39 residents and five employees have been infected there.

The cluster at Acacia Home grew to 20 after 11 more cases were detected there. Of the 20 cases, 18 are residents and two are staff members.

The other three clusters are:

• Banyan Home @ Pelangi Village – three new cases, 87 in total
• Bukit Batok Home for the Aged – one new case, 160 in total
• Orange Valley Nursing Home (Clementi) – three new cases, 17 in total

1,717 COVID-19 Cases in Hospital; 129 in ICU

At the moment, there are 1,717 COVID-19 cases warded in hospitals, most of whom are well and under observation.

288 serious cases require oxygen supplementation and 129 are in the intensive care unit, comprising 67 cases who are unstable and under close monitoring, and 62 who are critically ill and intubated.

Over the past seven days, the number of fully vaccinated and non-fully vaccinated cases who have been critically ill in the ICU are at 0.5 and 4.5 per 100,000 population respectively.

The same figures for seniors aged 60 and above are 1.9 and 35.9 respectively.

Over the same period, the number of fully vaccinated and non-fully vaccinated cases who died are 0.1 and 0.9 per 100,000 population respectively.

The same figures for seniors aged 60 and above are 0.3 and 8.2 respectively.

Currently, 84% of our population has been fully vaccinated and 85% have received at least one dose. 16% have received their booster shots.

Minister: Singapore’s COVID-19 Death Rate “Very Low”

In a ministerial statement yesterday (1 Nov), Minister of State for Health Janil Puthucheary noted that Singapore has managed to keep its COVID-19 death rate “very low”.

We currently have a fatality rate of 0.2%, compared to the 3% or more observed in countries that have experienced a surge in cases before vaccination.

He compared this low death rate to “catching pneumonia”; if COVID-19 deaths rise, which is likely, 2,000 people could die from the disease every year. However, there are around 4,000 fatalities from the influenza virus yearly.

He added that while our healthcare system is stressed, it’s not overwhelmed. Nevertheless, MOH will further expand Singapore’s ICU capacity in preparation for a potential rise in severe cases, he added.

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