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SINGAPORE – Singapore’s latest surge in Covid cases may be peaking, but the public wants to keep up with vaccinations, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung told CNBC on Thursday.
Singapore reported 56,043 Covid cases in the week of December 3-9, up 75% from last week. The previous record was 28,410 infections in the week of March 26.
Covid infections appear to have levelled off over the past week, with the seven-day moving average rising from 7,870 on Dec. 12 to 6,530 on Dec. 19.
“The scenario can also get worse before it gets better. All indications are that we may have reached a peak. So that’s probably what it’s all about,” Ong told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia. “
A new Covid strain, the JN.1 variant, which has been classified as a “variant of interest” by the World Health Organization, accounts for the “vast majority” of the country’s latest wave of infections. WHO maintains that available evidence suggests the variant does not present “additional public health risks” increased compared to other circulating variants.
Asked if it was unexpected that the variant would give the impression of having “less impact” than previous strains, Ong said the new Covid variants are clearly not benign, but that vaccines have helped the country cope with the wave.
“The virus hasn’t gotten milder . . . We’ve become more potent because we’ve been infected, we’ve been vaccinated,” Ong said.
“But all those antidotes will disappear. In twelve months, 18 months, 24 months, it will be transmitted. . . We deserve to be prepared for Covid to worsen unless we continue to get vaccinated,” he said.
In addition to vaccination and booster doses – the country’s “main defense” against Covid – the Ministry of Health has also suggested the public wear a mask in crowded spaces, even if they are sick, especially at the airport and other places. closed.
According to the ministry, hospitalization rates remain “significantly lower” among those who are up to date on their vaccinations than those who are not.
Ong argued that the number of hospitalizations remains a key indicator to look out for. The average number of Covid-related hospitalizations has risen from 225 to 350, according to a report released Dec. 15.
“I think that’s the maximum metric to monitor right now, which is the number of [hospital] beds occupied,” he said.
Singapore emerged from the acute phase of Covid in February and entered the endemic norm. The island nation got rid of the mandatory use of masks on public transport and in indoor fitness facilities, among other network measures such as work-from-home protocols and limits on organization sizes.
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