Health

S’pore Could Face ‘Much Bigger’ Omicron Wave With 15,000 Daily Cases: Ong Ye Kung

Ong Ye Kung Warns Of ‘Much Bigger’ Omicron Wave In Singapore

In recent times, the authorities have warned Singaporeans of an imminent wave of Covid-19 cases as the Omicron variant spreads through our community.

During a multi-ministry task force (MTF) press conference on Wednesday (5 Jan), Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said Singapore should brace itself for an Omicron wave that’s “much bigger” than the Delta variant.

In the “worst-case scenario”, Singapore may see about 15,000 cases daily—about 3 times the cases during the peak of the Delta wave last year.

Omicron wave might be ‘much bigger’ than Delta wave

On Wednesday (5 Jan), MTF co-chair Ong Ye Kung said Singapore’s Omicron cases could be “a few times” more than the 3,000 infections caused by the Delta variant during the Oct-Nov period last year.

Source

Adding onto Minister Ong’s points, Associate Professor Kenneth Mak of the Ministry of Health (MOH) said Singapore could see up to 15,000 daily Omicron cases at its peak.

This figure is about 3 times the number of cases during the peak of the Delta wave when the country reported over 5,000 daily new infections.

Compared to the Delta variant, which doubled in cases every 6-8 days, Minister Ong said the Omicron strain might double in 2-3 days.

 

3 out of 2,252 Omicron cases required oxygen treatment

Despite the high transmissibility of the Omicron variant, Minister Ong shared some relatively good news concerning the number of severely ill patients.

Of the 2,252 Omicron cases reported in Singapore so far, only 3 required oxygen supplementation.

Furthermore, these patients were taken off support within 3 days and are now recovering.

None of the Omicron cases has required ICU care thus far.

Based on Singapore’s experience, should the 2,252 cases have been of the Delta variant, Mr Ong said we would have seen about 30 patients falling severely ill, and even succumbing to the infection.

Practise restraint as we brave through the storm

Given that Singapore is now on the cusp of an Omicron wave, it’s essential for everyone to follow safety measures and practise social responsibility.

That said, with the Omicron variant being a potentially less severe virus, Singaporeans might also have to interpret our daily case figures differently.

Nonetheless, since it remains unclear how the Omicron wave will affect our medical system, it’s better to be more prudent to exercise restraint during these uncertain times.

Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.

Featured image by MS News. 

The Must Share News Team

Teamwork makes the dream work.

Recent Posts

Continuous heavy traffic expected at S’pore-JB checkpoints till end of 2024: ICA

A record of more than 553,000 travellers crossed both checkpoints on 13 Dec.

22 Dec 2024, 7:25 pm

H5N1 poses ‘highest risk’ of becoming next pandemic, S’pore health authorities monitoring situation

There has been no year-end Covid-19 wave, as had been expected.

22 Dec 2024, 6:42 pm

Wagyu beef worth S$5,700 found in car entering JB from S’pore, M’sian driver arrested

The beef was imported without a veterinary health certificate and halal certification.

22 Dec 2024, 5:40 pm

Long queue forms at Jalan Besar Stadium for tickets to ASEAN Championship semi-final

One fan started queueing as early as 7am.

22 Dec 2024, 4:50 pm

Toys“R”Us in Japan sends parcels in plain boxes before Christmas, praised for protecting ‘Santa’s surprise’

The company made the change after parents said they wanted to make sure their gifts…

22 Dec 2024, 4:36 pm

Google Maps helps Spanish police arrest murder suspects caught transporting corpse on Street View

An incredible twist of fortune for the police -- and a stroke of bad luck…

22 Dec 2024, 2:59 pm