Singapore reports 18,593 new COVID-19 cases, 12 deaths

SINGAPORE: Singapore reported 18,593 new COVID-19 cases as of noon on Thursday (Feb 24), comprising 18,434 local and 159 imported infections.

There were 12 fatalities, taking the death toll from coronavirus complications to 975.

There are 1,615 patients in hospital, according to the latest infection statistics on the Ministry of Health (MOH) website. A total of 221 patients required oxygen supplementation.

Forty-four patients are in the intensive care unit, compared to 46 on Wednesday. 

Most of Singapore's new COVID-19 infections are Protocol 2 cases, which are those who are well or assessed to have a mild condition.

Among the cases reported on Thursday, 16,601 are classified under Protocol 2, comprising 16,519 local cases and 82 imported ones.

Another 1,992 cases were confirmed via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, with 77 of them being imported infections. 

The weekly infection growth rate is 1.37, down from 1.49 on Wednesday.

Singapore has recorded 661,198 COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic.

As of Wednesday, 94 per cent of Singapore's eligible population have completed their full vaccination regimen under the national vaccination programme.

About 67 per cent of the total population have received their vaccine booster shots.