Singapore reported more than 1,000 Covid cases for two straight days. This is the first time infections have reached that level since April 2020, at the height of the pandemic.
It was confirmed by data obtained from the ministry of health that 1,009 new infections were reported on Saturday, while 1,012 new cases were reported on Sunday, the highest number since April 23, 2020.
On April 20, 2020, infections hit a record high of 1,426 as majority of Singapore’s cases were detected in migrant worker dormitories.
Despite warnings by ministers that Covid cases would surge past 1,000 as the country seeks to live with the virus, measures have been laxed compared to the approach the government earlier adopted, where measures were tightened and cases were reported in the low double digits.
In a virtual press briefing last Friday, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung stated that a major wave of infections and an exponential rise in daily cases is “almost like a rite of passage.”
He said, however, that the size of the vaccinated population makes the current situation different from what other countries experienced, stating that more than 80% of Singapore’s population has already been vaccinated.
He added that the country would have recorded a high mortality rate and an overwhelmed healthcare system had a large percentage of the country not been vaccinated.
“We have avoided that thus far because of our very high vaccination coverage,” he said.
Currently, the government has started focusing its attention on patients who are severely ill and deaths, which have remained relatively low at 60 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
As of September 20, 2021, there are currently 128 cases of serious illnesses requiring oxygen supplementation, and 18 in critical condition in the intensive care unit (ICU).