Earlier this week, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung urged Singaporeans to brace themselves for an “Omicron wave” soon.
And it didn’t take long for his predictions to come true.
On Tuesday (4 Jan), Singapore reported 842 new Covid-19 cases, including 438 Omicron infections — a relatively sharp spike from last week’s figures.
Our nation’s weekly growth rate has also risen above the 1.00 mark, which indicates an increase in cases over the past 7 days compared to the same period before.
In an update, MOH reported 842 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday (4 Jan), of which 334 were in the community. There were also 502 imported cases and 6 from workers’ dormitories.
Of the 842 infections, 438 were of the Omicron variant.
The vast majority, or 347 of the Omicron infections, continue to be imported. 91 of them are local infections.
The number of new Covid-19 cases reported on 4 Jan represents a substantial increase from last week’s figures, which were in the 300-400 range.
That said, Singapore has always reported higher-than-usual numbers on Tuesday — a phenomenon previously highlighted by Minister Ong.
Nonetheless, our weekly infection growth rate recorded a sharp rise and reached 1.09 on Tuesday (4 Jan).
This is the first time our weekly growth rate has crossed the 1.00 mark since 12 Nov 2021.
For the uninitiated, a weekly growth rate above 1 indicates an uptick in the number of cases over the past 7 days compared to the same period before that.
The key indicator had dipped to 0.52 on 24 Dec before surging upwards.
Considering how it’s merely a matter of time before the Omicron variant spreads in our community, Singaporeans should take the necessary precautions to protect themselves and their loved ones.
If you have yet to get ‘boosted’, perhaps now’s a good time to do so.
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Featured image by MS News.
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