Call to visit hospitals only for emergencies as daily cases hit 26,000 here

The Ministry of Health (MOH) last night reiterated its call for the public to refrain from rushing to hospitals with non-emergency conditions, as Singapore saw a record high of 26,032 Covid-19 cases.

To help spread out the patient load at private clinics, the operating hours of Public Health Preparedness Clinics will be extended from Feb 25 to March 10.

Selected clinics will operate up to 11pm on weekday nights, from 2pm to 5pm on weekend afternoons, and up to 11pm on weekend nights. Selected polyclinics will operate on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings.

The list of clinics providing these time-limited extended hours can be found on flu.gowhere.gov.sg

Said the ministry: "Hospitals, polyclinics and general practitioner (GP) clinics are very busy, and healthcare workers are under severe pressure. It may take a few weeks before the transmission wave peaks and subsides."

The previous highest number of Covid-19 cases recorded was 19,420 on Feb 15.

While the number of patients needing oxygen supplementation and intensive care unit (ICU) care is not high, there has been a surge in demand for hospital beds, mostly for patients with underlying chronic illnesses, said MOH.

To support healthcare providers, capacity in hospitals has been ramped up and patients placed at Covid-19 treatment facilities as much as possible. Patients are also being sent to private hospitals, and Covid-19 patients in nursing homes can recover at the homes.

The SG Healthcare Corps and Singapore Armed Forces medics are chipping in, and health protocols have been adjusted to allow more patients to be able to recover at home.

MOH added that many patients have been going to hospitals, polyclinics and GP clinics with mild symptoms or none to get an antigen rapid test conducted by a medical professional and documented in MOH's records. They have also been asking for medical certificates. "This has added significant workload to our healthcare providers who are already under significant pressure and stress," it said.

The ministry urged individuals not to rush to a hospital emergency department unless they are experiencing an emergency. Patients who walk in with non-emergency conditions may be diverted elsewhere so as to prioritise resources for those who need the medical care.

Said MOH: "We seek everyone's continued effort and cooperation to do our part to preserve our medical resources for those who need them most."

From Saturday, the combined test centres (CTCs) will provide access to government-funded telemedicine consultations for symptomatic members of the public who go to CTCs for testing during the weekends.

There were a total of 1,608 Covid-19 cases in hospital yesterday, up from 1,606 on Monday.

There were 46 cases in the ICU, up from 44 on Monday. A total of 190 patients required oxygen support.

Four deaths were reported yesterday.