Singapore Residents Should Reduce Social Interactions As Covid-19 Cases Likely To Hit 1,000 Soon
As daily Covid-19 cases in Singapore continue to rise in recent days, seeing the numbers approach 1,000 may make some of us nervous.
But it seems like that’s only inevitable, as Health Minister Ong Ye Kung shared in a Multi-Ministry Taskforce (MTF) press conference today (17 Sep).
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), Mr Ong warned the public to prepare to see case numbers hitting 1,000 soon.
Singapore likely to report 1,000 daily Covid-19 cases soon
After our daily case numbers passed the 3-digit threshold in August and continued to increase rapidly since then, the authorities already began advising the public to brace themselves for the trend to continue.
While they’ve assured that they won’t be tightening restrictions again, they’ve had to address concerns regarding recent developments.
Speaking to the press on Friday (17 Sep), Mr Ong explained how daily figures have been doubling every week. Therefore, reaching the 1,000 cases mark won’t be a surprise, reported CNA.
Public should reduce social interactions to control spread
While the authorities are doing their best to ensure the healthcare system is ready for such an event, Mr Ong has some requests for the public too.
In order to help control the spread of the virus, here’s what he advises us to do:
- Get vaccinated if you haven’t
- Get the booster shot once you get the chance
- Spontaneously reduce our social interactions & activities
The first 2 depend on different circumstances working in our favour, but the third is something we can all act on immediately.
So if you have made many plans to catch up with different groups of people soon, you might want to consider rescheduling.
After all, it’s better to be safe now so we can have a happier reunion once the situation improves.
Hospitals ready to increase ICU capacity
On the healthcare front, the authorities will be extending the home recovery option to vaccinated patients between the ages of 12 and 69, The Straits Times (ST) reports.
As this frees up manpower, Mr Ong added that hospitals will be ready to provide more beds for intensive care unit (ICU) cases.
They’ll be able to increase capacity from the current 100 to 300 beds on short notice.
Image for illustration purposes only
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Even so, he assured that there’s no reason to worry yet as ICU cases only make up 0.2% of overall cases.
He hopes the figure will stay that way or even decrease over time.
Other patients who aren’t able to recover at home can meanwhile turn to Community Care Facilities (CCFs) as MOH increases the number of beds by 1,000.
Let’s work together to push the number of Covid-19 cases down
As worrying as the updates may seem, it’s heartening to see the authorities stepping in to take action quickly.
But the responsibility doesn’t lie in their hands alone as we as residents should help too.
Thus, let’s do what we can to help reduce transmission risks and push the number of Covid-19 cases down.
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Featured image adapted from Galen Crout on Unsplash.
