SINGAPORE – The Ministry of Health (MOH) has urged the public not to hoard antigen rapid test (ART) kits as Covid-19 cases spike here.
Retailers and pharmacies have enough supplies here and have placed new orders to meet the growing demand, the Health Ministry said in a Dec. 11 statement.
“MOH maintains a stockpile of ART kits and will release the stockpile to support retailers if the need arises,” the ministry added.
Advises the public to purchase ART kits in sufficient quantities to meet immediate needs.
Cases of Covid-19 are rising in Singapore, putting a strain on medical resources. The rise in cases has led to increased demand for ART kits.
Checks carried out by The Straits Times on Dec. 6 revealed that some pharmacies had run out of ART kits and that not all had been restocked the next day.
In the week ending December 2, 32,035 more people were diagnosed with Covid-19, the number of infections recorded in 2023.
During the week of November 19-25, the estimated number of infections was 22,094, more than double the 10,726 in the week of November 12-18.
The Ministry of Health said in a previous statement that the increase in cases may simply be due to many factors, such as the end-of-year travel season and declining population immunity.
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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.