The majority of Covid-19 patients will now recover at home, rather than at designated facilities, as Singapore braces itself for an exponential surge in cases over the coming weeks.
This wave of infections was not unexpected and should be seen as a "rite of passage" for any country hoping to live with the disease, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said yesterday.
The difference is that other countries encountered such waves early in the pandemic, but Singapore is experiencing it only after more than 80 per cent of the population has been fully vaccinated.
There is no doubt that numerous deaths would have occurred if people had not got vaccinated in large numbers, Mr Ong said, adding that the healthcare system would likely have been overwhelmed by now.
"We are on a path of transition to a new normal of living with Covid-19," he told reporters during a virtual news conference. "It is a journey that is uncertain and full of twists and turns."
With daily case numbers doubling every week, the country is soon likely to see 1,000 new cases in a single day, he said.
Singapore reported 935 cases yesterday, 838 of which were detected in the community. Another 96 cases were found in migrant worker dormitories, and there was one imported case.
This means that even community care facilities - which now take in milder cases so that hospitals are not overtaxed - will be full soon, Mr Ong said. This is why the country will put most Covid-19 patients on home recovery, with the scheme expanded to include those up to 69 years old.
To make testing more convenient, 100 vending machines have been rolled out at 56 locations for those receiving health risk warnings to collect self-test kits.
These warnings are sent to people who have been in close proximity to a Covid-19 case for an extended period, according to SafeEntry data, or are identified as a close contact of a patient.
Mr Ong also highlighted three unknowns that loom large in the days ahead. First, Singapore does not know how long daily case numbers will rise before dipping.
It is also unclear whether the country will run out of intensive care unit (ICU) capacity, although it is prepared to triple the number of available beds to nearly 300 at short notice.
Lastly, it does not know if hospitals will be overburdened in general, with healthcare staff unable to cope with increased workloads.
More than 8,000 cases have been detected since the current wave started on Aug 23, although the vast majority - over 98 per cent - have had no or mild symptoms.
The average number of daily cases has also gone up, from 146 a fortnight ago to 682 cases in the past week.
At present, the number of serious cases is not increasing at the same rate as the overall case count. This suggests the healthcare system will be able to cope, said Singapore's director of medical services Kenneth Mak. "We do need to look at the situation over the next two weeks to better understand whether that trend continues."
As the country navigates this next phase of its battle against Covid-19, Singaporeans should keep up their efforts at preventing the virus from spreading, including observing good personal hygiene and minimising social interactions.
"Even as our infections are still rising rapidly, we can all play our part to determine the trajectory of the infection curve," Mr Ong said.
"We are not the first country to have gone through this baptism of fire, and we will not be the last - but our position is different because we are more than 80 per cent vaccinated."
