A new wave of COVID-19 has hit Singapore, recording 25,900 cases between May 5 and 11, The Straits Times reported.
The country’s Health Minister, Ong Ye Kung, on Saturday, advised wearing masks again.
“We are at the beginning of the wave where it is steadily rising. So I would say the wave should peak in the next two to four weeks, which means between mid- and end of June,” Kung said.
The Ministry of Health reported that COVID-19 cases increased to 25,900 from May 5 to 11, up from 13,700 the previous week. Average daily hospitalisations rose to about 250 from 181, while ICU cases remained low at three, compared to two the last week.
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To manage hospital capacity, the ministry said public hospitals are reducing non-urgent elective surgeries and moving suitable patients to transitional care facilities or home care through the Mobile Inpatient Care@Home programme.
Kung urged high-risk individuals, including those over 60, medically vulnerable people, and residents of aged care facilities, to get an additional COVID-19 vaccine dose if they haven’t in the last 12 months.
Stating that additional measures would only be a last resort, Kung said there are no plans for social restrictions, as the virus is treated as endemic in Singapore.
He noted that as a transport and communication hub, Singapore may experience COVID-19 waves earlier than other cities, expecting one or two waves annually.
Globally, the predominant COVID-19 variants are JN.1 and its sub-lineages, KP.1 and KP.2, which comprise over two-thirds of cases in Singapore.
The World Health Organization has classified KP.2 as a variant under monitoring, with no evidence that KP.1 and KP.2 are more transmissible or cause more severe illness.
The ministry encouraged the public to stay updated with vaccinations to protect against current and emerging strains.
