Singapore Reports Increase in Covid-19 Cases but Hospitals Remain Capable of Handling Surge

Singapore’s health authorities have documented an increase in Covid-19 hospitalizations while keeping a close eye on the development. Last Tuesday, May 13, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) issued a joint statement. They continued, hospitalizations have increased from 102 to 133 people. Even with this increase, the hospitals are still better prepared to handle a new wave of patients.

During this same period of time — April 27 to May 3 — Singapore’s case rate was an estimated 14,200 Covid-19 infections. That was an 82 percent jump over the 11,100 of the week prior. That average number of cases needing intensive care has dropped from three cases down to two. This unfortunate trend is indicative of how serious – and in some cases even fatal – infections have steadily increased. The severity of cases is not rising nearly as fast.

The joint statement reminded us that seasonal waves of Covid-19 will continue to be a reality year-round. The two dominant variants now circulating in Singapore, LF.7 and NB.1.8, make up more than two-thirds of local cases. In particular, these variants are derived from the JN.1 variant lineage. They’re found in the recently updated vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty, Moderna/Spikevax, and Novavax.

“The hospitals are currently able to manage the increase in cases.” – Ministry of Health (MOH) and Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA)

The federal health authorities still recommend full vaccination against Covid-19 for certain populations. We are particularly urging all seniors 60 or older to be vaccinated. This recommendation should extend to the medically vulnerable and residential custodians of elder care facilities. Additionally, vaccines continue to be widely available for everyone six months and older, free and on-demand.

As Singapore continues to fight against these ever-changing Covid-19 statistics, focusing on getting vaccinated is still the most important step in protecting yourself and your community. Our authorities continue to stay tuned to make sure that the healthcare system is ever more prepared to adapt and respond based on the evolving situation.