SINGAPORE: The number of hospitalisations and intensive care unit (ICU) cases due to COVID-19 has increased amid a rising number of infections, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Friday (Dec 8).
The estimated number of COVID-19 cases in the week of Nov 26 to Dec 2 rose to 32,035, compared with 22,094 cases in the previous week.
The average daily COVID-19 hospitalisations also rose to 225 from 136 the week before, and the average daily intensive care unit cases increased to four cases compared to one case in the previous week.
MOH said the numbers of hospitalisations and ICU cases are not as high as during the pandemic.
“This has added workload to our hospitals, which are already busy,” said MOH, adding that it is closely tracking the trajectory of this wave to ensure that its healthcare capacity is able to cope.
Although the number of cases is rising, there is no indication that the variants circulating locally are more transmissible or cause more severe disease, added the ministry.
It also urged members of the public to seek medical treatment at emergency departments only for serious or life-threatening emergencies.
“This will preserve our hospital capacity for patients who truly need acute hospital care and allow those with severe illness to receive timely treatment.”
INCREASED TRAVEL, FESTIVE SEASON
MOH said the increase in the number of cases could be due to several factors, including waning population immunity and increased travel and community interactions during the year-end travel and festive season.
Cases infected by JN.1, a sublineage of BA.2.86, currently account for more than 60 per cent of COVID-19 cases in Singapore.
While BA.2.86 and its sublineages have been classified as a variant of interest by the World Health Organization since Nov 21, the ministry added that there were currently no indications, globally or locally, that BA.2.86 or JN.1 is more transmissible or cause more severe disease than other circulating variants.