SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Health said on Friday (Dec 8) that COVID-19 infections have risen over the past two weeks.

The estimated number of COVID-19 cases from 26 Nov to 2 Dec 2023 rose to 32,035, compared to 22,094 cases in the previous week. The average daily COVID-19 hospitalisations rose to 225 from 136 the week before, and the average daily Intensive Care Unit (ICU) cases increased to four compared to one in the previous week. Despite this, the MOH added that there is no indication that the variants circulating locally are more transmissible or cause more severe disease. It added that while hospitalisations and ICU cases have increased, the numbers are not as high as during the pandemic.

The recent rise of COVID-19 cases in Singapore has also increased demand for Antigen Rapid Test (ART) kits, which are reportedly out of stock at several supermarkets and pharmacies in Singapore. Last Saturday (Dec 2), the Ministry of Health (MOH) released a statement urging the public to remain vigilant after the number of local COVID-19 cases doubled. As of the end of November, the EG.5 virus variant and its sub-lineage HK.3 were the predominant sub-variants locally. These accounted for over 70 per cent of the cases.

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The MOH said that the increase in cases could be due to several factors, including waning population immunity and increased travel and community interactions during the year-end travel and festive season. Cases infected by JN.1, a sublineage of BA.2.86, currently account for over 60 per cent of COVID-19 cases in Singapore. While BA.2.86 and its sublineages have been classified as a Variant of Interest by the World Health Organization since 21 November 2023, there are currently no indications, globally or locally, that BA.2.86 or JN.1 are more transmissible or cause more severe disease than other circulating variants.

On Nov 2, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong took to social media to encourage those aged 60 and above and medically vulnerable individuals to keep up with their COVID-19 vaccines. The updated vaccine was rolled out by MOH on Oct 30 and is based on Omicron XBB 1.5, which better protects against current and emerging strains of the virus. /TISG