Singapore is experiencing a surge in Covid-19 cases, 15 death and 3,383 new cases having been reported on Sunday. This brings the total tally in the country to 172,644, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a press release. A huge number of cases have been reported from a migrant worker dormitory, wherein eight of the cases were imported.
The MOH also said that the past week has also seen a surge in hospitalizations, with a large number of patients now requiring oxygen support. The surge in cases comes as a surprise at over 80 percent of the country's population is now fully vaccinated.
Covid Grips Singapore Again
Singapore reported 15 more death from Covid-related complications on Sunday. Those who died are aged between 58 and 100. Among them, eight weren't vaccinated, one had received the first dose, while the others were fully vaccinated.
According to the MOH, all the deceased are Singaporeans, with seven among them women. This takes Singapore's death toll to 315 since the outbreak. Of the fresh cases, 2,708 were reported in the community and 667 in migrant worker dormitories while eight were imported cases.
The number of hospitalizations too have been on the rise, with a total of 1,738 cases are currently in medical care. Of these, 278 patients are in serious and semi-serious condition and are in need of oxygen supplementation in the regular ward. A total of 97 patients are in stable condition but are being closely monitored in the intensive care unit (ICU), while 58 are critically ill and intubated in the ICU, according to the statement from the MOH.
Deaths on the Rise
Covid-19 cases had been declining following the massive vaccination drive in Singapore but the past month has seen deaths once again escalating. Sunday was the 35th day in a row when deaths related to Covid-19 have been reported.
The community cases included 428 seniors above 60 years of age. As of Sunday, there were 17,862 patients who had mild symptoms and are in home recovery. Among large clusters that are being closely monitored by the ministry, five had new cases. A total of 26 new infections were added to these five large clusters.
The Singapore government has been actively administering Covid-19 vaccines but the recent surge has left authorities scramble for resources. As of Sunday, 84 per cent of the population has been fully vaccinated, and 85 per cent has received at least one dose. A total of 9,773,881 doses of Covid-19 vaccines under the national vaccination programme (Pfizer-BioNTech or Comirnaty and Moderna) have been administered.
MOH added that to date, it has invited about 910,000 eligible people to receive their vaccine booster. Also, 699,542 individuals have received their booster shots and another 79,000 have booked their appointments.
