Last Saturday (2 Oct), Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said many people in Singapore will end up catching COVID-19, and there’s no need to be fearful or embarrassed about it.
With a population of nearly 6 million, some of us wondered how this could be possible, but we’re slowly getting an idea.
After all, yesterday was the fourth day in a row that the number of new COVID-19 cases surpassed the 3,000 mark.
Sadly, more people have passed away from the disease too.
Here are the details:
6 COVID-19 Fatalities; One Fully Vaccinated
Six COVID-19 fatalities were reported by the Ministry of Health (MOH) yesterday, comprising three men and three women aged between 67 and 93.
Two were unvaccinated against COVID-19, three were partially vaccinated, and one was fully vaccinated.
Five of them had various underlying medical conditions while the other, a partially vaccinated case, had no known medical conditions.
These six deaths bring Singapore’s death toll to 142.
Record 3,590 Cases Reported, All Local
A record 3,590 new COVID-19 cases were reported yesterday, comprising 2,825 in the community and 765 in the migrant worker dormitories.
Among the local cases are 619 people above the age of 60.
All the new cases recorded yesterday are local, as no imported infections were detected.
Yesterday’s case count is the highest since the beginning of the pandemic.
No New Clusters; Methodist Home Cluster Swells to 89
While there were no new large clusters reported by MOH, several of our existing clusters grew, the most notable of which is the cluster at MWS Christalite Methodist Home.
With 13 new infections, the cluster has swelled to 89 infections, comprising 84 residents and five staff members.
Four more cases were also added to the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre cluster, bringing its total to 334. Of the 334 cases, 307 are workers at the market, four are trade visitors and 23 are household members of cases.
Daycare centre Learning Vision @ Changi Airport also grew by one case to 15, comprising 13 students and two employees.
The other two clusters “closely monitored” by the MOH are the ones at ASPRI-Westlite Papan Dormitory and PPT Lodge 1B Dormitory.
The first dorm cluster has 229 infections, while the latter has 138.
1,564 COVID-19 Cases in Hospitals
At the moment, there are 1,564 COVID-19 cases warded in hospitals, most of whom are well and under observation.
307 severe cases require oxygen supplementation and 41 are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
Of these serious cases, 294 are seniors above the age of 60.
Over the last four weeks, 98.4% of the local cases were either asymptomatic or had mild symptoms.
As of Monday, 83% of our population has been fully vaccinated. 85% have received at least one dose.
New VTL With South Korea to Launch on 15 Nov
It wasn’t all bad news yesterday.
The authorities also announced that we’ll be launching a Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) with South Korea on 15 Nov.
As long as travellers are fully vaccinated, they won’t have to quarantine and will take more COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests instead.
Singapore has already launched VTLs with Germany and Brunei, and plans to open one with the US as well.
Read Also:
- PM Lee to Address the Nation Tomorrow (9 Oct) at 12pm About COVID-19 & The Path to a New Normal
- Squid Game’s Jung Ho-yeon Spoke Perfect English During Talk Show With Jimmy Fallon
Featured Image: kandl stock / Shutterstock.com (Image is for illustration purposes only)
