New COVID-19 Wave Hits Singapore With 25,900 Cases Reported In A Week; FLiRT Variant Accounts For Two-Thirds Of Cases

Singapore is experiencing a new wave of COVID-19 cases right now. According to Singapore’s Ministry of Health, about 25,900 cases were reported in the country from May 5 to 11. Seeing the surge in cases, the authorities have advised its citizens to wear masks again as a peak is expected in the country in June.

Singapore Braces For A Fresh COVID-19 Wave

There is a surge of COVID-19 cases in Singapore and the country is bracing for a fresh wave of this disease. The weekly cases in the country nearly doubled in the week ended May 11. According to official data, COVID-19 cases in Singapore from May 5 to 11 rose to 25,900, compared with 13,700 cases in the previous week.

Not just the number of cases, average daily COVID-19 hospitalisations also saw a surge. According to Singapore’s Ministry of Health, hospitalisations increased to 250 from 181 the week before. Thankfully, the average daily intensive care unit (ICU) cases remained low at three cases, compared with two cases in the previous week. The ministry is closely monitoring the trajectory of this wave and has confirmed that they are at the “beginning part of the wave where it is steadily rising.”

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung in an interview told PTI, “If the number of COVID-19 cases doubles one time, Singapore will have 500 patients in its healthcare system, which is what Singapore can handle. However, if the number of cases doubles a second time, there will be 1,000 patients, and that will be a considerable burden on the hospital system.”

Also Read: What Is FLiRT, The New COVID-19 Variant, Raising Concerns? Here’s Everything You Need To Know About It

Peak Expected In June, Health Ministry Issues Advisory

The Singapore health ministry is expecting a peak in COVID-19 cases. They believe the surge would happen in “the next two to four weeks, between mid- and end of June.” What’s interesting is that the new COVID -19 variant, FLiRT, is behind the surge of cases in the country. As per the local news, KP.1 and KP.2 account for over two-thirds of cases in Singapore right now. Currently, it is hard to say that KP.1 and KP.2 are more transmissible or cause more severe disease than other circulating variants.

While there are no plans for any social restrictions or any other mandatory measure right now, the health ministry has advised people to start wearing masks again. Other than that, they have advised people to take an additional dose of the COVID-19 vaccine if they have not taken one in the past 12 months. This is mainly for senior citizens, medically vulnerable individuals, and residents of aged care facilities.

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