Coronavirus: Singapore health minister says current Covid-19 wave ‘will not be as severe’ as earlier Omicron outbreak
- Health Minister Ong Ye Kung believes Singaporeans have gained stronger immunity through booster jabs or recovery from infections
- 92 per cent of Singapore’s population of 5.45 million have received two shots, while 78 per cent are triple jabbed
This was due to many Singaporeans gaining stronger immunity either through booster jabs or recovery from infections. “This will significantly impede the circulation and transmission of the BA. 4 and BA. 5 viruses,” he said.
The city state has in recent days seen an uptick in cases, with 50 per cent of fresh infections attributed to the new sub-variants deemed to be more contagious than their predecessors. Ong expects this number to edge up to 70 per cent next week.
But Ong, who was speaking to lawmakers in parliament, suggested there were indications that Singapore was near – if not at – the peak of its current outbreak.
For example, the number of cases for Tuesday was just 10 per cent higher than last week.
“We should be relieved that the number this week did not double from last week. Otherwise, we will be at 24,000 or 22,000 this week,” he said.
