3 positives and 3 negatives in ongoing Covid-19 fight

The stabilisation measures that have been in place in Singapore will be extended for another month amid a growing number of Covid-19 cases in the intensive care units (ICUs) and in hospitals.

During a virtual press conference yesterday, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said there are three positives and three negatives in Singapore's ongoing fight against the largest wave of Covid-19 cases it has experienced since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Three positives

1. COVID-19 CASES HAVE STABILISED

The Covid-19 cases in Singapore have stabilised for the last two weeks, said Mr Ong. While there was a spike to 3,500 Covid-19 community cases on Tuesday, this was due to a usual post-weekend surge.

He said the Ministry of Health will monitor the trend over the next few days.

The important thing is that cases are no longer doubling every few days, as what Singapore had seen last month and early this month, Mr Ong added.

There is now a higher percentage of infected individuals with no symptoms or mild symptoms.

About 98 per cent of infected individuals used to have mild or no symptoms. But in the last 28 days, this has increased to 98.6 per cent.

The remaining 1.1 per cent of cases need oxygen supplementation, 0.1 per cent require time in the intensive care unit, and 0.2 per cent have died.

Among the seniors aged 60 and above who are vaccinated, the number of people getting infected has been falling.

Mr Ong said that at the peak earlier this month, there were 1,000 of them getting infected in a day. This has fallen to 279 as at Tuesday. He said this fall in numbers is due to a combination of factors, including seniors cutting back on their social activities and booster jabs getting administered.

Three negatives

There is no sign of Covid-19 cases falling in Singapore, and it will take time for this to happen.

"As more people get boosted, as individuals who are vaccinated catch the virus and experience only mild flu-like symptoms, the antibodies and the immunity in our society will build up over time," Mr Ong said.

"When that happens, you will see cases falling, and then we can open up social and economic activities without cases rising very rapidly."

Singapore's hospitals and healthcare workers remain under pressure, said Mr Ong.

The 2,000 isolation rooms for Covid-19 in Singapore are now 81 per cent filled. "Queues have formed for Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 patients needing hospital beds in certain hospitals," he said.

"We have stood up 207 intensive care unit beds - 71 are occupied by patients who are intubated, that means they need ventilators to help them breathe."

Mr Ong said such patients stay an average of 15 days, but the longest cases can stay up to a month.

He said there are 75 more patients who are not intubated but have been admitted to the ICU because they require close monitoring and treatment by ICU-trained healthcare workers to prevent further deterioration.

The number of infections among unvaccinated seniors aged 60 and above continues to be very high.

Mr Ong said this is in contrast to the trend for vaccinated seniors, for which cases are falling.

Unvaccinated seniors account for two-thirds of patients in the ICU and who have died.

Over the past five days, the number of infections for unvaccinated seniors averaged 127 cases a day.

"For them, the disease is not 98.6 per cent mild," he said, referencing the percentage of infected individuals with no symptoms or mild symptoms in the last 28 days.

"For unvaccinated seniors in their 60s, our data shows one in four will require oxygen, ICU care, or will succumb."

The risk of serious illness goes up to one in three for those in their 70s, and one in two for those in their 80s or older.

"Once an unvaccinated senior is on oxygen, more than one in five will go on to need ICU care or die," Mr Ong added.