Singapore reports 2,038 new COVID-19 cases and 6 more deaths; overall ICU rate falls below 60%

SINGAPORE: Singapore reported 2,038 new COVID-19 cases as of noon on Thursday (Nov 18), as the daily number of coronavirus-related deaths fell to its lowest in more than three weeks.

The six fatalities reported on Thursday were aged between 57 and 84. All of them had various underlying medical conditions. The Ministry of Health (MOH) did not specify what these medical conditions were. 

The number of COVID-19 deaths reported on Thursday is the fewest since Oct 23. This brings Singapore’s death toll to 625.

The overall intensive care unit (ICU) utilisation rate on Thursday fell below 60 per cent for the first time since records were released about three weeks ago.

WEEKLY INFECTION GROWTH RATE

The number of new cases reported on Thursday is down from the 3,474 infections reported on Wednesday.

The weekly infection growth rate was 0.90 as of Thursday, a small rise from the 0.89 reported on Wednesday. This refers to the ratio of community cases for the past week over the week before.

The weekly infection growth rate has stayed below 1 for six consecutive days.

Of the new cases reported on Thursday, 2,031 infections were locally transmitted, comprising 1,964 cases in the community and 67 infections in migrant workers' dormitories.

There were seven imported cases, MOH said in its daily update released to the media at about 11.10pm. 

As of Thursday, Singapore has reported 246,853 COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic.

ICU UTILISATION RATE

The current overall ICU utilisation rate was 58.8 per cent. 

MOH first released information on the overall ICU utilisation rate on Oct 25, when the rate was 83.6 per cent. It had not dipped below 60 per cent until Thursday.

A total of 1,435 cases were warded in hospital, with 226 patients requiring oxygen supplementation in general wards.

Fifty-three cases were unstable and under close monitoring in the intensive care unit (ICU), and 60 were critically ill and intubated.

A total of 3,772 cases were discharged over the past day, of whom 528 were seniors aged above 60.

"Seniors 60 years old and above, especially if unvaccinated, continue to be more adversely affected by COVID-19," said MOH.

As of Wednesday, about 22 per cent of Singapore's population have received their booster shots. About 94 per cent of the eligible population - those aged 12 and above - have completed their full regimen or received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

Of the 84,654 cases over the last 28 days, 98.7 per cent had mild symptoms or were asymptomatic, while 0.8 per cent required oxygen supplementation in the general ward, 0.3 per cent were in the ICU and 0.2 per cent died.

CLUSTERS

MOH said it was "closely monitoring" three large clusters. 

Six more cases were linked to the cluster at Jenaris Home @ Pelangi Village, taking its new total to 70, comprising two staff members and 68 residents.

SINGAPORE EASING COVID-19 MEASURES STEP BY STEP TO AVOID "U-TURNS": PM LEE

Singapore is easing COVID-19 safety measures "step by step" to avoid having to make "unsettling U-turns", Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Wednesday. 

However, things "probably will not be back to status quo ante", Mr Lee said. He was speaking to Bloomberg editor-in-chief John Micklethwait at the close of the first day of the Bloomberg New Economy Forum on Wednesday. 

As the virus mutates and the science evolves, Singapore has had to "change course", from stamping out COVID-19 to living with it. 

"We have had to carry the population along and persuade people that it is necessary for us now to accept the few thousand cases a day. We will try our best but there will be casualties and there will be mainly old people who will not make it through," said Mr Lee.