Singapore faces a new wave of COVID-19 epidemic

Singapore's health minister warned of a new COVID-19 epidemic in the country as the number of infections increased sharply in the past two weeks.

According to Strait Times newspaper, on May 18, Singapore Health Minister Ong Ye Kung issued a warning about the new COVID-19 epidemic in this country.

Mr. Ong said: "We are at the beginning of a new COVID-19 epidemic, with the number of cases increasing. I think this epidemic will peak in the next 2-4 weeks, around late to mid-June." ".

Singapore's Ministry of Health estimates that between May 5 and 11, the number of detected COVID-19 cases increased to 25,900 cases, compared to 13,700 a week earlier.

On average, the number of cases treated in hospitals per day has increased to 250, compared to only 181 cases in early May. The average number of cases requiring intensive care units (ICU) is generally still low. low level with three shifts.

Mr. Ong said that if the number of COVID-19 cases doubles, to 500 hospitalizations, Singapore's health system will still be able to cope.

However, if the number of cases doubles again and reaches 1,000 inpatients, "the hospital system will be under great pressure".

"1,000 beds is equivalent to a regional hospital. I think the health system needs to prepare carefully for what is coming," Singapore's health minister advised.

In order to increase the bed fund for COVID-19 patients, the island nation's health ministry called on people to postpone non-urgent voluntary surgeries or transfer appropriate patients to lower-level medical facilities or home.

Mr Ong also asked groups of people vulnerable to COVID-19, including the elderly over 60 years old, to get additional COVID-19 vaccination if they have not been vaccinated again in the past 12 months.

In addition, Singapore has no plans to issue social restrictions or other mandatory disease prevention measures.

Singapore's health minister emphasized that this island nation considers COVID-19 to be an endemic disease, meaning a group of diseases that appear stably in a certain group of subjects or populations. Endemic diseases have pathogens that exist frequently, and disease incidence is stable or predictable.

Therefore, Singapore only considers issuing additional COVID-19 prevention measures as a last resort.

Explaining the new wave of epidemics, Mr. Ong said that Singapore is the transportation and communication center of the region and the world. Therefore, this will be one of the places to welcome the COVID-19 wave earlier than other countries.

"COVID-19 is something we have to live with. We need to expect one or two waves of the disease every year," Singapore's health minister emphasized.

* SOURCE: https://tuoitre.vn/singapore-doi-dien-lan-song-dich-covid-19-moi-20240519090228288.htm