Singapore Surpasses 2,200 New COVID-19 Cases... Highest Record to Date

Despite 82% Vaccination Completion Rate, Deaths Surge
"Over 3,000 Could Occur Next Week," Authorities Also Tense

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] At the end of July, Singapore, which declared a 'With corona' strategy after surpassing an 80% COVID-19 vaccination completion rate, recorded a historic high with over 2,200 new confirmed cases. This month, the number of deaths also reached a record high, raising the possibility of a complete revision of the With corona strategy.

According to local CNA broadcast in Singapore on the 29th, the Singapore Ministry of Health announced that 2,236 new COVID-19 cases were reported the previous day, marking the highest number ever recorded. The previous record was 1,939 cases on the 26th. This is the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak that daily confirmed cases in Singapore have exceeded 2,000.

The Ministry of Health stated that 1,711 of the cases were community infections, while the remaining 515 cases were from dormitories mainly housing foreign workers. Five additional deaths were reported, bringing the total death toll to 85. Deaths have occurred for nine consecutive days, with 30 deaths recorded in September alone, the highest monthly figure to date. The cumulative death toll in August was 18.

As the spread intensifies, the Singapore government announced on the 27th that social distancing measures would be strengthened again. Under this measure, which will last about a month until the 24th of next month, the number of people allowed to dine at food and beverage outlets, even if vaccinated, has been reduced from five to two. The number of people allowed to gather outdoors has also been reduced from five to two. Additionally, when using taxis or ride-hailing services, the maximum number of passengers allowed is limited to two if they are not family members.

Gan Kim Yong, Minister of Trade and Industry and co-chair of the government’s COVID-19 task force, warned at a press conference on the 24th, "If this trend continues, daily confirmed cases could increase to 3,200 next week, or even higher."

About 82% of Singapore’s population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, known to be among the highest levels worldwide. However, following the announcement of the With corona strategy, the easing of quarantine measures and the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant have led to a significant increase in new confirmed cases.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.