50-year-old is youngest Singaporean Covid-19 fatality; 1,457 new cases

There are 1,453 new cases of locally transmitted infections in Singapore, with 1,277 in the community. PHOTO: ST FILE

SINGAPORE - A total of 1,457 new Covid-19 cases were reported in Singapore on Wednesday (Sept 22), said the Ministry of Health (MOH) in its nightly update.

Before this, the highest number of new Covid-19 cases recorded in Singapore was 1,426 cases on April 20 last year.

Three deaths were reported including a 50-year-old Singaporean man who died of Covid-19 on Tuesday. He was not vaccinated and had no known medical conditions. He is the youngest local Covid-19 fatality to date.

The Republic's Covid-19 death toll now stands at 68, said MOH.

Of the other two deaths, one was a 65-year-old Singaporean man who died on Wednesday. He tested positive on Sept 1 and was not vaccinated against Covid-19.

He had a history of diabetes, end-stage kidney failure and high blood pressure.

The other was a 90-year-old Singaporean woman who died on Tuesday.

She tested positive on Sept 13, and was fully vaccinated. She also had a history of stroke, asthma, high blood pressure and high cholesterol which, together with her age, made her more susceptible to severe illness, said the ministry.

This takes the total number of deaths recorded over the past two months to 31, making it almost half of the total Covid-19 related death toll in Singapore.

Of the local cases reported on Wednesday, 1,277 were in the community and 176 cases were among dormitory residents.

The remaining four cases were imported.

The authorities have warned that Singapore would see a major wave of Covid-19 transmission as the country transitions to living with the virus.

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New cases have also been added to existing clusters.

Twenty-two more cases were added to the cluster at Blue Stars Dormitory in Jurong West, taking the total number of cases in the cluster to 159.

Intra-dormitory transmission among residents was found, with no evidence of spread beyond the dormitory, said MOH.

New cases have also already been quarantined.

Also, 17 more cases have been added to the cluster at Avery Lodge, a dormitory in Boon Lay, taking the total number of cases in the cluster to 160.

Intra-dormitory transmission among residents occurred there, with no evidence of spread beyond the dormitory, said MOH.

Cases were identified through pre-emptive testing and new cases have already been quarantined.

There are 1,083 Covid-19 patients in hospital, down from 1,109 the day before.

There are 145 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation, down from 147 the day before.

There are also 19 cases in critical condition in the intensive care unit, up from 17 on Tuesday.

Of those who have fallen very ill, 134 are seniors above 60 years old.

The total number of Covid-19 infections in Singapore now stands at 81,356.

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