Ong Ye Kung: Fewer COVID cases & hospitalisations are signs ‘our society’s growing resilience with each passing wave’

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung noted that both Covid-19 case numbers and hospitalisations in Singapore have gone down recently, calling these “encouraging” signs of “our society’s growing resilience with each passing wave.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Aug 23) he wrote that the post-weekend spike usually observed during the pandemic did not occur this week.

“Today, we reported 3,406 local cases, a decline from last Tuesday’s 4,909 local cases.

More importantly, hospitalised cases are also lower with 359 reported today, compared to 524 cases a week ago,” Mr Ong wrote, adding that the muti-ministry task force to deal with the pandemic, which he co-chairs, would soon announce “more details on the way ahead.”

In a press conference on Wednesday morning (Aug 24), the Health Minister said that an estimated seven out of 10 people in Singapore have caught Covid. 

Reinfections have increased and are at around 5.5 per cent at present, he added.

Mr Ong underlined the importance of vaccinations as the first line of defence, saying that because nearly 80 per cent of people in Singapore have received their booster shots, the country has been able to cope with the BA.5 variant without needing to re-impose safety measures.

In the final quarter of the year, booster shots will be administered to children from the ages of 5 to 11, he said, adding that the government is also looking into vaccines for younger children. 

MTF co-chair Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced at the same press conference that from Aug 29 onward, indoor masking will only be required in healthcare settings and public transport.

Both Mr Ong and Wong, however, warned of the possibility that a more dangerous Covid variant may still come, with the Deputy Prime Minister saying Singaporeans must be mentally prepared for changes in pandemic regulations that may arise suddenly.

The Health Minister said that Singapore must be prepared for a “northern hemisphere winter wave” at the end of this year, which other countries in the west are also preparing for. /TISG

Kids under 5 more vulnerable to COVID, children 5–11 may need booster jab to stay protected — Janil Puthucheary