Gahmen needs to come clean on those cases classified as "work permit holders not residing in domintories"

jw5 · Sep 6, 2021

from MOH report 6 September 2021:

As of 6 September 2021, 12pm, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has preliminarily confirmed 235 new cases of locally transmitted COVID-19 infection.

2. 91 are linked to previous cases, and have already been placed on quarantine. 34 are linked to previous cases and were detected through surveillance. 110 are currently unlinked. Amongst the cases are 6 seniors above 70 years who are unvaccinated/ partially vaccinated, and are at risk of serious illness.

3. In addition, there are 6 imported cases, who have already been placed on Stay-Home Notice (SHN) or isolated upon arrival in Singapore. 4 were detected upon arrival in Singapore, while 2 developed the illness during SHN or isolation.

4. In total, there are 241 new cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore today.

5. We are still working through the details of the cases, and further updates will be shared via the MOH press release that will be issued tonight.

jw5 · Sep 7, 2021

from MOH report 6 September 2021:

Summary of local situation

• As of 6 September 2021, 12pm, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed and verified that there are 235 cases of locally transmitted COVID-19 infection and 6 imported cases.

• 637 cases are currently warded in hospital. Most are well and under observation. There are currently 21 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation, and 6 in critical condition in the intensive care unit (ICU).

• Over the last 28 days, the percentage of unvaccinated who became severely ill or died is 6.6%, while that for the fully vaccinated is 0.9%.

• As of 5 September 2021, 81% of our population has completed their full regimen/ received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and 83% has received at least one dose.

Update on vaccination progress

As of 5 September 2021, we have administered a total of 8,794,457 doses of COVID-19 vaccines under the national vaccination programme (Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty and Moderna), covering 4,533,475 individuals, with 4,378,769 individuals having completed the full vaccination regimen.

2. In addition, 170,635 doses of other vaccines recognised in the World Health Organization’s Emergency Use Listing (WHO EUL) have been administered as of 5 September 2021, covering 86,101 individuals. In total, 81% of our population has completed their full regimen/ received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and 83% has received at least one dose.

Figure 1: Percentage of Total Population who Received At Least First Dose1 and Completed Full Regimen2 of NVP and WHO EUL Vaccines3

Figure 2: Percentage of Vaccinated Individuals who Received At Least First Dose of NVP and WHO EUL Vaccines by Age Group

Figure 3: Percentage of Individuals who Completed Full Regimen of NVP and WHO EUL Vaccines by Age Group

Condition of hospitalised cases

3. 637 cases are currently warded in hospital. There are currently 21 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation, and 6 in critical condition in the ICU. Of those who have fallen very ill, 19 are seniors above 60 years, of whom 12 are completely unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.

Figure 4: Number of Active Cases in ICU or Requiring Oxygen Supplementation

Figure 5: Deaths and Active Cases in ICU or Requiring Oxygen Supplementation, by Age Group

4. There is continuing evidence that almost all fully-vaccinated individuals do not suffer serious disease when infected, unless if they had underlying medical conditions that made them more susceptible. Over the last 28 days, the percentage of unvaccinated who became severely ill or died is 6.6%, while that for the fully vaccinated is 0.9%.

Figure 6: Local Cases in the Last 28 Days by Vaccination Status & Severity of Condition4

Figure 7: Deaths and Active Cases in ICU or Requiring Oxygen Supplementation, by Vaccination Status

jw5 · Sep 7, 2021

from MOH report 6 September 2021:

Locally transmitted COVID-19 cases

5. There are 235 cases of locally transmitted COVID-19 infection today. 91 are linked to previous cases, and have already been placed on quarantine. 34 are linked to previous cases and were detected through surveillance. 110 are currently unlinked.

6. There are 6 imported cases, who have already been placed on Stay-Home Notice (SHN) or isolated upon arrival in Singapore. In total, there are 241 new cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore today.

Figure 8: Number of Local Unlinked Cases and Linked Cases by Already Quarantined/ Detected through Surveillance5

Summary of trends for local cases

7. Overall, the number of new cases in the community has increased from 723 cases in the week before to 1,325 cases in the past week. The number of unlinked cases in the community has also increased from 146 cases in the week before to 573 cases in the past week. The 7-day moving average number of all linked community cases and all unlinked community cases are 107.4 and 81.9 respectively.

Figure 9: 7 Day Moving Average Number of Community Unlinked and Linked Cases5

Figure 10: Local Cases in the Last 14 Days by Age Group and Vaccination Status

Summary of trends for imported cases

8. There are a total of 6 imported cases. Of these, 4 were detected upon arrival in Singapore, while 2 developed the illness during SHN or isolation.

Figure 11: Number of Imported Cases by Detected Upon Arrival/ Detected during SHN or Isolation

Active clusters under monitoring

9. There are no new clusters today, and 4 clusters have closed. There are currently 53 clusters, ranging between 3 and 1,155 infections.

Figure 12: Number of Active Clusters

jw5 · Sep 7, 2021

from MOH report 7 September 2021:

As of 7 September 2021, 12pm, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has preliminarily confirmed 328 new cases of locally transmitted COVID-19 infection.

2. 91 are linked to previous cases, and have already been placed on quarantine. 52 are linked to previous cases and were detected through surveillance. 185 are currently unlinked. Amongst the cases are 4 seniors above 70 years who are unvaccinated/ partially vaccinated, and are at risk of serious illness.

3. In addition, there are 4 imported cases, who have already been placed on Stay-Home Notice (SHN) or isolated upon arrival in Singapore. 2 were detected upon arrival in Singapore, while 2 developed the illness during SHN or isolation.

4. In total, there are 332 new cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore today.

5. We are still working through the details of the cases, and further updates will be shared via the MOH press release that will be issued tonight.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH
7 SEPTEMBER 2021

jw5 · Sep 8, 2021

from MOH report 7 September 2021:

Summary of local situation

As of 7 September 2021, 12pm, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed and verified that there are 328 cases of locally transmitted COVID-19 infection and 4 imported cases.
643 cases are currently warded in hospital. Most are well and under observation. There are currently 24 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation, and 6 in critical condition in the intensive care unit (ICU).
Over the last 28 days, the percentage of unvaccinated who became severely ill or died is 6.1%, while that for the fully vaccinated is 0.8%.
As of 6 September 2021, 81% of our population has completed their full regimen/ received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and 83% has received at least one dose.

Update on vaccination progress

As of 6 September 2021, we have administered a total of 8,804,737 doses of COVID-19 vaccines under the national vaccination programme (Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty and Moderna), covering 4,536,986 individuals, with 4,385,405 individuals having completed the full vaccination regimen.

2. In addition, 171,961 doses of other vaccines recognised in the World Health Organization’s Emergency Use Listing (WHO EUL) have been administered as of 6 September 2021, covering 86,204 individuals. In total, 81% of our population has completed their full regimen/ received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and 83% has received at least one dose.

Figure 1: Percentage of Total Population who Received At Least First Dose1 and Completed Full Regimen of NVP2 and WHO EUL Vaccines3

Figure 2: Percentage of Vaccinated Individuals who Received At Least First Dose of NVP and WHO EUL Vaccines by Age Group

Figure 3: Percentage of Individuals who Completed Full Regimen of NVP and WHO EUL Vaccines by Age Group

Condition of hospitalised cases

3. 643 cases are currently warded in hospital. There are currently 24 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation, and 6 in critical condition in the ICU. Of those who have fallen very ill, 22 are seniors above 60 years, of whom 14 are completely unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.

Figure 4: Number of Active Cases in ICU or Requiring Oxygen Supplementation

Figure 5: Deaths and Active Cases in ICU or Requiring Oxygen Supplementation, by Age Group

4. There is continuing evidence that almost all fully-vaccinated individuals do not suffer serious disease when infected, unless if they had underlying medical conditions that made them more susceptible. Over the last 28 days, the percentage of unvaccinated who became severely ill or died is 6.1%, while that for the fully vaccinated is 0.8%.

Figure 6: Local Cases in the Last 28 Days by Vaccination Status & Severity of Condition4

Figure 7: Deaths and Active Cases in ICU or Requiring Oxygen Supplementation, by Vaccination Status

jw5 · Sep 8, 2021

from MOH report 7 September 2021:

Locally transmitted COVID-19 cases

5. There are 328 cases of locally transmitted COVID-19 infection today. 91 are linked to previous cases, and have already been placed on quarantine. 52 are linked to previous cases and were detected through surveillance. 185 are currently unlinked.

6. There are 4 imported cases, who have already been placed on Stay-Home Notice (SHN) or isolated upon arrival in Singapore. In total, there are 332 new cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore today.

Figure 8: Number of Local Unlinked Cases and Linked Cases by Already Quarantined/ Detected through Surveillance5

Summary of trends for local cases

7. Overall, the number of new cases in the community has increased from 771 cases in the week before to 1,489 cases in the past week. The number of unlinked cases in the community has also increased from 184 cases in the week before to 677 cases in the past week. The 7-day moving average number of all linked community cases and all unlinked community cases are 116.0 and 96.7 respectively.

Figure 9: 7 Day Moving Average Number of Community Unlinked and Linked Cases5

Figure 10: Local Cases in the Last 14 Days by Age Group and Vaccination Status

Summary of trends for imported cases

8. There are a total of 4 imported cases. Of these, 2 were detected upon arrival in Singapore, while 2 developed the illness during SHN or isolation.

Figure 11: Number of Imported Cases by Detected Upon Arrival/
Detected during SHN or Isolation

Active clusters under monitoring

9. There is 1 new cluster today, and 1 cluster has closed. There are currently 53 clusters, ranging between 3 and 291 infections.

Figure 12: Number of Active Clusters

jw5 · Sep 9, 2021

from MOH report 8 September 2021:

As of 8 September 2021, 12pm, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has preliminarily confirmed 347 new cases of locally transmitted COVID-19 infection. Amongst the cases are 3 seniors above 70 years who are unvaccinated/ partially vaccinated, and are at risk of serious illness.

2. In addition, there are 2 imported cases, who have already been placed on Stay-Home Notice (SHN) or isolated upon arrival in Singapore.

3. In total, there are 349 new cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore today.

4. We are still working through the details of the cases, and further updates will be shared via the MOH press release that will be issued tonight.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH
8 SEPTEMBER 2021

jw5 · Sep 9, 2021

from MOH report 8 September 2021:

Summary of local situation
· 664 cases are currently warded in hospital. There are currently 23 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation, and 6 in critical condition in the intensive care unit (ICU).
· Over the last 28 days, the percentage of unvaccinated who became severely ill or died is 6.1%, while that for the fully vaccinated is 0.7%.
· As of 7 September 2021, 81% of our population has completed their full regimen/ received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and 83% has received at least one dose.
· As of 8 September 2021, 12pm, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has detected a total of 349 new cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore today.

Condition of hospitalised cases

As of 8 September 2021, 12pm, 664 COVID-19 cases are currently warded in hospital. Most are well and under observation. There are currently 23 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation, and 6 in critical condition in the ICU. Of those who have fallen very ill, 23 are seniors above 60 years.

2. Case 71194, a 93 year-old female Singaporean, has passed away from complications due to COVID-19 infection on 8 September 2021. She had developed symptoms on 2 September, and was conveyed to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases on 5 September, where she tested positive for COVID-19 infection. She had not been vaccinated against COVID-19, and had a history of diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, hypertension and hyperlipidaemia. In total, 56 have passed away from complications due to COVID-19 infection.

Figure 1: Number of Active Cases in ICU or Requiring Oxygen Supplementation

Figure 2: Deaths and Active Cases in ICU, Requiring Oxygen Supplementation or Hospitalised, by Age Groups

3. Over the last 28 days, the percentage of unvaccinated who became severely ill or died is 6.1%, while that for the fully vaccinated is 0.7%.

Figure 3: Local Cases in the Last 28 Days by Vaccination Status & Severity of Condition1

Update on vaccination progress

4. As of 7 September 2021, 81% of our population has completed their full regimen/ received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and 83% has received at least one dose.

5. We have administered a total of 8,813,966 doses of COVID-19 vaccines under the national vaccination programme (Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty and Moderna), covering 4,540,422 individuals, with 4,391,303 individuals having completed the full vaccination regimen. In addition, 174,435 doses of other vaccines recognised in the World Health Organization’s Emergency Use Listing (WHO EUL) have been administered, covering 86,319 individuals.

Locally transmitted COVID-19 cases

6. As of 8 September 2021, 12pm, there are 349 cases of COVID-19 infection, comprising 347 local cases and 2 imported cases.

a) Active clusters under close monitoring

7. There are currently no new emerging large clusters. We are closely monitoring the clusters listed below, which have already been ringfenced through tracing, testing and isolation.

Figure 4: Large Clusters with New Cases

Cluster	New Cases	Total2	Remarks
Toa Payoh Bus Interchange staff	7	183	Workplace transmission, no evidence of spread to commuters
Bishan Bus Interchange staff	1	35	Workplace transmission, no evidence of spread to commuters
Clementi Bus Interchange staff	1	48	Workplace transmission, no evidence of spread to commuters
Tampines Bus Interchange staff	2	44	Workplace transmission, no evidence of spread to commuters
Boon Lay Bus Interchange staff	8	145	Workplace transmission, no evidence of spread to commuters
Bugis Junction	4	295	Intra-mall transmission amongst staff and visitors; all new cases quarantined earlier
Changi General Hospital	4	58	Workplace transmission, no evidence of spread to patients; all new cases quarantined earlier
North Coast Lodge	2	199	New cases have all been quarantined earlier
30 Sunview Way construction site	9	35	Workplace transmission, no evidence of spread beyond worksite

b) Summary of trends for local cases

8. There are 347 local cases with COVID-19 infection today. Amongst the local cases today are 84 seniors who are above 60 years.

Figure 5: Number of Local Cases by Age

Summary of trends for imported cases

9. There are a total of 2 imported cases, who have already been placed on Stay-Home Notice (SHN) or isolated upon arrival in Singapore. Of these, 1 was detected upon arrival in Singapore, while 1 developed the illness during SHN or isolation.

Figure 6:Number of Imported Cases by Detected Upon Arrival/ Detected during SHN or Isolation

10. Please refer to MOH’s daily Situation Report (www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19/situation-report) for details.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH
8 SEPTEMBER 2021

jw5 · Sep 10, 2021

from MOH report 9 September 2021:

Summary of local situation

664 cases are currently warded in hospital. There are currently 26 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation, and 7 in critical condition in the intensive care unit (ICU).
Over the last 28 days, the percentage of unvaccinated who became severely ill or died is 5.2%, while that for the fully vaccinated is 0.8%.
As of 8 September 2021, 81% of our population has completed their full regimen/ received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and 83% has received at least one dose.
As of 9 September 2021, 12pm, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has detected a total of 457 new cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore today.

CONDITION OF HOSPITALISED CASES

1. As of 9 September 2021, 12pm, 664 COVID-19 cases are currently warded in hospital. Most are well and under observation. There are currently 26 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation, and 7 in critical condition in the ICU. Of those who have fallen very ill, 28 are seniors above 60 years.

2. Case 65636, a 62 year-old male Singaporean, has passed away from complications due to COVID-19 infection on 6 September 2021. He had been conveyed to Singapore General Hospital for an unrelated medical condition on 20 July and tested positive for COVID-19 infection on 21 July. He had not been vaccinated against COVID-19, and had a history of cancer and bronchiectasis. In total, 57 have passed away from complications due to COVID-19 infection.

Figure 1: Number of Active Cases in ICU or Requiring Oxygen Supplementation

Figure 2: Deaths and Active Cases in ICU, Requiring Oxygen Supplementation or Hospitalised, by Age Groups

3. Over the last 28 days, the percentage of unvaccinated who became severely ill or died is 5.2%, while that for the fully vaccinated is 0.8%.

Figure 3: Local Cases in the Last 28 Days by Vaccination Status & Severity of Condition[1]

Update on vaccination progress

4. As of 8 September 2021, 81% of our population has completed their full regimen/ received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and 83% has received at least one dose.

5. We have administered a total of 8,823,534 doses of COVID-19 vaccines under the national vaccination programme (Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty and Moderna), covering 4,544,155 individuals, with 4,396,578 individuals having completed the full vaccination regimen. In addition, 175,027 doses of other vaccines recognised in the World Health Organization’s Emergency Use Listing (WHO EUL) have been administered, covering 86,379 individuals.

Locally transmitted COVID-19 cases

6. As of 9 September 2021, 12pm, there are 457 cases of COVID-19 infection, comprising 450 local cases and 7 imported cases.

a) Active clusters under close monitoring

7. We are closely monitoring the clusters listed below, which have already been ringfenced through tracing, testing and isolation.

Figure 4: Large Clusters with New Cases

Cluster	New Cases	Total[2]	Remarks
Hu Lee Impex	9	22	Primarily workplace transmission, no evidence of spread beyond workplace and household contacts of cases
Sembcorp Marine Tuas Boulevard Yard	14	32	Most cases are residents of 38 Kian Teck Drive dormitory; new cases have all been quarantined earlier
Changi General Hospital	2	61	Transmission limited to facility management staff, no transmission to healthcare workers and patients; cases declining
Bugis Junction	8	305	Intra-mall transmission amongst staff and visitors; all new cases quarantined earlier
Toa Payoh Bus Interchange staff	6	190	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Tampines Bus Interchange staff	1	45	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Boon Lay Bus Interchange staff	6	152	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Punggol Bus Interchange staff	2	41	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Jurong East Bus Interchange staff	1	43	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
North Coast Lodge	1	200	Intra-dormitory transmission; new cases have all been quarantined earlier; cases declining
30 Sunview Way construction site	2	37	Workplace transmission, no evidence of spread beyond worksite; cases detected from proactive testing

b) Summary of trends for local cases

8. There are 450 local cases with COVID-19 infection today. Amongst the local cases today are 108 seniors who are above 60 years.

Figure 5: Number of Local Cases by Age

Summary of trends for imported cases

9. There are a total of 7 imported cases, who have already been placed on Stay-Home Notice (SHN) or isolated upon arrival in Singapore. Of these, 3 were detected upon arrival in Singapore, while 4 developed the illness during SHN or isolation.

Figure 6: Number of Imported Cases by Detected Upon Arrival/ Detected during SHN or Isolation

10. Please refer to MOH’s daily Situation Report (www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19/situation-report) for details.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH

9 SEPTEMBER 2021

jw5 · Sep 10, 2021

from MOH report 10 September 2021:

OPENING REMARKS BY MINISTER FOR HEALTH MR ONG YE KUNG AT COVID-19 MULTI-MINISTRY TASKFORCE PRESS CONFERENCE ON 10 SEPTEMBER 2021

A Critical Path

1 When the Multi-Ministry Taskforce (MTF) presented our transition plan to a COVID-resilient nation, we explained that we must be prepared to see infections rise, and also increased intensive care unit (ICU) cases and deaths. The rapid rise in infections over the last 18 days is therefore not unexpected. Except it is happening sooner than what we had anticipated.

2 We had hoped for a controlled Preparatory Phase, where we can get more people vaccinated, adjust our healthcare protocols, try out several pilot projects to open up the social and economic activities, and travel, while keeping infection numbers at a manageable level, maybe 100, 200.

3 Then we would enter the Transition Phases, where we open up further, and expect cases to start rising along a steep curve, but we would be well-prepared to manage it. Unfortunately, the Delta variant did not follow our plan, which is also not surprising.

4 This rapid and exponential rise in daily infections that we are experiencing now, is what every country that seeks to live with COVID-19 has to go through at some point. We want to go through it differently from other countries, in two major ways:

5 First, we want as few deaths as possible. Practically every country that has gone through this transmission wave, has suffered hospital collapses and high death tolls. We want to avoid that.

6 If we can achieve the first objective, then we can also achieve our second objective - which is to avoid a long hard lockdown, a repeat Circuit Breaker. That is, in fact, what New South Wales in Australia and Vietnam are going through now.

Vaccination is still key

7 The key is vaccination. As DMS explained, vaccines are very effective in protecting us against severe illnesses, ICU cases and deaths. Are we achieving the two objectives we set for ourselves?

8 Our cases started rising sharply 18 days ago on 23 August, when daily cases shot up to almost 100 and has been rising rapidly since. Through the 18 days, ICU numbers were kept at five to seven. There were two new ICU admissions and one death, due to recent clusters.

9 The MTF will be distributing a chart to illustrate this. We are seeing a high number of infection cases, but so far over the last 18 days, ICU admissions and deaths have been kept low, but we should expect it to rise. Therefore, there is strong evidence to show that vaccination has weakened the relationship between the number of infections and number of patients with severe illnesses and deaths. But it is early days yet, as there is a time lag between infections and the onset of severe illnesses.

10 As far as possible, we do not want to reverse course in our transition. We need to monitor the incidences of severe illnesses and deaths closely in the coming few weeks.

11 Let us navigate this wave first before we embark on further steps to re-open. So for now, we are not reversing; we still want to progress on our transition journey. But we are not racing ahead, but we are actively responding, watching, monitoring. I will repeat this in a few Chinese words: 冷静观察、稳住阵脚、沉着应对。

12 The imperative now is to quickly adjust our healthcare protocols and that is a very urgent task. We are no longer dealing with 50 or 100 cases a day but multiple times of that. The old ways do not work anymore.

13 So what numbers are we potentially dealing with?

14 Based on the experiences of other countries, mainly in Europe, which are also highly vaccinated, a transmission wave does not last forever. It typically takes four weeks, if not eight weeks; or we can assume around 30 to 40 days to peak before it comes down, and then stabilise. During that rise, daily cases can double every 10 days. This means we need to be prepared for four to five doubling cycles.

15 We are 18 days into the wave and it has doubled twice and on its third doubling cycle - from 100 on 23 August to 200 on 3 September, and now 200 to 400, and now 400 to 800. Beyond that, it may go on for another two cycles, meaning daily cases may double from 800 to 1,600 and 1,600 to 3,200, hitting a peak before starting to come down and stabilise.

16 What I have just said is what is possible, having observed what happened in other countries. How it will actually unfold will depend on what we do collectively: to test extensively, reduce interactions where possible, wear our masks properly and diligently, get ourselves tested when required, isolate ourselves when ill or tested positive through an antigen rapid kit. If we do that, we may be able to avoid five doubling cycles.

Healthcare Protocols

17 Let me cite some numbers in other countries, which have settled down and living life quite normally. If you look at the infection rate, in terms of number of infections per 100,000 population per day: South Korea - 3 to 4; Italy, Denmark, Sweden - 9 to 10; Germany - 11, Netherlands -15, France - 18, Switzerland - 30; USA - 45; UK - 55. Currently, we are at 7, at the lower end of all these countries that have been living with COVID-19. Our numbers are rising and it may surpass many and peak before it comes down, but that is how other countries have dealt with it. Going through a wave in order to live with COVID-19.

18 The key imperative is to get our healthcare protocols readjusted and reconfigured. Our public health responses need to shift decisively to cope with much large number of infections. Based on the characteristics of Delta variant, which DMS has presented, we will make the following four major changes:

19 First, quarantine. At these numbers, our contact tracers can no longer interview every infected individual and map out their whereabouts and contacts; link them and identify clusters.

20 Instead, we will focus on dealing with vulnerable settings and large clusters. We will also rely on simpler and scalable methods, such as automatically requiring household members to be quarantined at home.

21 We will also generate a list of close contacts using TT data. For very close contacts, we can send out Health Risk Warnings, so that they are required by law to get themselves tested and self-isolate till they receive negative results. We will also send Health Risk Alerts to other contacts, for them to monitor their health.

22 Second, as the incubation period for Delta is shorter, with a median of under four days, we will shorten the quarantine period from 14 days now to ten days. This will be less disruptive to people, and yet capture a significant majority of infected cases.

23 Third, based on the finding that infected individuals with CT>25 are no longer infectious during the recovery phase, we can also bring forward discharge.

24 Today, an individual is discharged on Day 10 if he is tested negative or CT>30. We will now allow discharge at Day 7 if he is tested negative or CT>25. If not, he will be discharged at Day 10. We will continue to review the data and tweak the discharge policy accordingly.

25 Fourth, we will move decisively to home recovery. This is very important, so that hospital beds are allocated to those who truly need medical attention. Today, the large majority of infected patients are in hospital for observation, and most are discharged uneventfully.

26 We have started a home recovery pilot for 21 individuals, with nine already discharged. It has worked well, the individuals are relieved they can recover from home, and neighbours have been very supportive and understanding, and I thank them for that.

27 We would have wished for more time to expand the pilot but we need to make a bigger move. We will implement in the next few days a default home recovery for one group of individuals, and strongly encourage home recovery for another group of individuals.

28 First, those who are young, fully vaccinated, who do not have comorbidities or underlying illnesses. They must not live with any vulnerable persons, e.g. pregnant, immunocompromised or anyone above 80 years old. Their homes must have a room with an ensuite toilet. We will start with younger persons and expand up to individuals who are around 50 years old. This will account for about 50 percent of infected cases.

29 Second, for infected children between 5 and 11 years old. Many parents have been requesting for them to recover and to be cared for at home, especially when the children are generally well with no or minimal symptoms. But hospitals have been cautious and have been admitting them to the wards. We will change this policy, and encourage parents to bring children infected with COVID-19 home, for recovery.

30 At the same time, we will ramp up our Community Care Facilities (CCFs), isolation beds and ICU beds. With all these changes, we can handle about 1,000 infections a day. And we have drawer plans to make further changes to the protocols and ramp up more facilities, to handle beyond 1,000 daily cases.

31 I should point out that the protocols I just described are similar to those practiced in the US, Japan, UK or in Europe. Their starting point is Influenza protocols, while ours is the SARS protocols. In terms of severity and transmissibility, COVID-19 is somewhere in between SARS and Influenza, and so we find our practices converging over time.

Boosters

32 While we have a very high vaccination coverage, we will continue to administer vaccines. Our mobile and home vaccination teams, including many volunteers, continue to work hard to get vulnerable seniors vaccinated.

33 We have announced the start of a booster programme. Our Specialist Outpatient Centres will offer booster vaccinations to fully vaccinated immunocompromised persons from 15 September 2021.

34 In addition, there are about 900,000 seniors aged 60 and above eligible for the booster shots. From 14 September 2021, we will be sending out some 200,000 SMSes to those who took their second shots in March this year or earlier, to make an appointment for their booster shots.

35 The booster shot can be either Pfizer or Moderna, as recommended by Expert Committee on COVID-19 Vaccination (EC19V). The Ministry of Health (MOH) recommends that you take the shots, so please come forward.

36 We will begin administering the third shot to seniors aged 60 and above in nursing homes around the same time.

Sinovac

37 About 1.5 percent of our population has taken the Sinovac vaccine, administered through the SAR route by private clinics. MOH has also administered the Sinovac vaccine to those who are allergic to the mRNA vaccines.

38 The private clinics had suspended vaccination as their stock has been depleted. MOH has facilitated the ordering of new stock. Barring unforeseen circumstances, they should arrive around 20 September, and be available at some of these clinics a few days after that.

Conclusion

39 I mentioned earlier that to live with COVID-19, no country is spared from going through a wave of transmission like what we are experiencing now.

40 But we have done whatever we can to prepare for this – Circuit Breaker, Heightened Alert, TraceTogether (TT), Safe Management Measures, and very importantly, vaccinating the large majority of our population.

41 I have consulted widely when preparing these talking points. After hearing from so many experts and doctors, I would like to convey an important advice to the following groups.

42 If you are a senior, minimise your social interactions for the next one month. Just go out for the essentials, like buy food, or see the doctor. This is especially if you are still unvaccinated. If you pull down your mask, and chat with friends for an hour, you put yourself at a very high risk of infection.

43 If you are a young person living with seniors who are parents or grandparents, please help to protect them. Also minimise your social interactions, cut back on eating out, or do not bring home too many friends home. These activities can easily bring the virus to the seniors.

44 If you are pregnant, please understand that the scientific data internationally is very clear - that vaccines are safe for you and your baby, but a COVID-19 infection is not. Please get yourself vaccinated.

45 If you are somehow still not vaccinated, or have been persuading your parents, grandparents or pregnant wife not to get vaccinated, it is perhaps time to reconsider. The risks between vaccinating and not vaccinating have significantly shifted.

46 More than ever, we need to all work together, exercise civic consciousness and personal responsibility, and do our part. Take care of ourselves, and everyone around us.

jw5 · Sep 10, 2021

from MOH report 10 September 2021:

UPDATES TO HEALTHCARE PROTOCOLS AND IMPLEMENTATION OF VACCINE BOOSTER STRATEGY

1. The Multi-Ministry Taskforce (MTF) had earlier announced some measures to slow the spread of new cases, in response to the current infection wave that began on 23 August 2021. These give us time to encourage more unvaccinated seniors to get vaccinated, and roll out our vaccine booster programme.

2. This is the first time we are experiencing such an exponentially rising wave of infection in the community. Despite our high vaccination coverage, there is still a risk that the exponential cases can lead to more severe illnesses and deaths. The coming weeks will be a critical period as cases will continue to rise, and we will observe if infections translate to requirements for Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds and deaths. We will also be rolling out the vaccine booster programme from 14 September to persons who are immunocompromised and seniors aged 60 years and above, to maintain the high level of vaccine protection. These are necessary steps to take as we continue our journey to re-open our society and community. We seek Singaporeans’ understanding and support during this period so that we can ensure as safe a re-opening as possible.

3. The most immediate task ahead is to reconfigure our healthcare protocols so that we can cope with the current level of infections. The large majority of infection amongst fully vaccinated persons have been mild or asymptomatic. The evidence also shows that fully vaccinated individuals recover faster and are well protected against serious illness. The Delta variant has also been shown to have a shorter incubation period than previous variants.

4. Given this evidence, we will expand our home recovery pilot to allow more vaccinated individuals to recover at home, bring forward the discharge timeline for fully-vaccinated infection cases, and shorten the length of quarantine. This will allow us to better prioritise our healthcare capacity for treating serious cases, as well as for other healthcare needs.

Updates on Local Situation

5. With the increase in community transmissions, we have intensified our testing programme to pick up cases early. With most residents respecting safe management measures (SMMs) in place, around 0.5% of the tests return positive, but nevertheless, the number of daily cases has been rising over the past fortnight, from an average of 76 cases per day a fortnight ago, to 288 cases per day in the past week. At the current trajectory, it is likely that we will soon reach more than 1,000 daily cases, detected early through intensified testing.

6. For now, the number of serious cases remains low – as of 9 September, there are 26 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation, and 7 in critical condition in the ICU. This is likely due to both our high vaccination rates, which stand at 81% fully vaccinated today, and the younger age profile of the infected. There continues to be strong evidence that vaccination is protective against severe illness. Among fully vaccinated cases in the past 28 days, 99.2% were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms. Among unvaccinated and partially vaccinated individuals, 95.1% were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms. Nevertheless, we are still early in this new wave of transmission and we need to continue to monitor the situation and remain vigilant.

Updates to Healthcare Protocols

7. In line with the evidence that fully vaccinated individuals are mostly showing mild symptoms or are asymptomatic if infected, we started the Home Recovery Pilot on 30 August 2021, for fully vaccinated COVID-19 individuals infected with COVID-19 to recover from home, provided that they have a suitable home setting where they can be isolated from the rest of their household. Under the pilot, their household members must also be fully vaccinated and not belong to any vulnerable groups (such as the elderly or immunocompromised). These individuals will be equipped with care packs to monitor their symptoms and given access to 24/7 telemedicine support if they require any medical assistance.

8. 21 individuals have been enrolled onto the pilot thus far and the results have been positive. Nine individuals have since been discharged as of 9 September, and the rest remain clinically well.

9. Given the encouraging pilot results, we will expand home recovery as the default care management protocol for more fully vaccinated individuals from 15 September 2021[1]. We will extend the scheme progressively to individuals up to 50 years-old who have no significant co-morbidities or underlying illnesses. This is because these individuals are generally well with no or mild symptoms and are able to self-care at home. Once notified of their COVID-19 positive results, these individuals should immediately self-isolate at home.

10. There have been a number of requests from parents to bring their infected children home as they are often well with no symptoms, and parents prefer to be able to take care of them at home. We have been careful and admitting children to hospitals to provide them with dedicated medical care. However, we will now allow and encourage parents to bring their infected children home, if they are at least 5 years-old and do not have co-morbidities or underlying illnesses. For these children, they will first be assessed by the hospital to be clinically fit for home recovery, before sending them back home for their recovery journey.

11. There is also evidence that vaccinated COVID-19 cases recover faster than unvaccinated cases. As such, since 7 September 2021, we have also shortened the length of isolation for fully vaccinated COVID-19 cases. These cases may be discharged as early as seven days into their illness if they have undetectable or very low viral loads, showing that they are non-infectious. Unvaccinated persons will continue to be discharged from 14 days into their illness.

Updates to Quarantine Protocol

12. As the number of infection cases build up, we will prioritise our contact tracing resources on preventing large clusters at high-risk and vulnerable settings. We will rely more on TraceTogether data to identify close contacts of COVID-19 cases. Close contacts of a COVID-19 will be issued Health Risk Warnings (HRW) or Health Risk Alerts (HRA) and should get tested to minimise the risk of spread of disease. Household members of confirmed COVID-19 cases will also be required to quarantine themselves to further prevent risk of spread of disease. More information on the self-quarantine arrangement and the support which will be provided to these persons will be released later.

13. We will also adjust the quarantine period. The quarantine period is currently set at 14 days to account for the maximum COVID-19 incubation period. However, the Delta variant has a shorter incubation period – an average of under four days compared to an average of six days for the original strain. This means that it will take an average of four days after exposure to the virus, for the virus to be detectable in the individual. As such, we will reduce the quarantine period from 14 days to 10 days from the date of last exposure, provided the person under quarantine tests negative for COVID-19 at the end of his quarantine. He/she will need to continue to conduct daily ART after the quarantine period to Day 14 to mitigate any remaining risk of infection. This will be implemented from next week[2].

14. Overall, the shifts in our approach, including the use of HRW and HRA and self-quarantine, allow us to mitigate the risk of further transmission in a more sustainable manner. It requires more personal responsibility, and each of us to do our part.

Commencing Vaccine Booster Programme

15. As announced on 3 September 2021, the Ministry of Health (MOH) will be commencing the vaccine booster programme for two subgroups: (a) persons aged 60 years and above, as well as residents of aged care facilities and (b) persons who are moderately to severely immunocompromised.

Seniors and Residents of Aged Care Facilities

16. From 14 September 2021, we will progressively invite seniors 60 years and above, and residents of aged-care facilities who have completed their vaccination regimen with two doses at least six months ago to receive their booster dose of a Pandemic Special Access Route (PSAR) mRNA vaccine. An SMS with a personalised booking link will be sent to the mobile number that they had registered with earlier for their first two doses, for them to book a new appointment on www.vaccine.gov.sg. Eligible residents of aged care facilities can also look forward to receiving their booster dose in the coming weeks.

Immunocompromised Individuals

17. Individuals who are moderately to severely immunocompromised and have completed their two doses of the PSAR mRNA vaccines are encouraged to receive a third dose of the same PSAR mRNA vaccine two months after their second dose. However, they should consult their treating specialist, who would have the best understanding of their medical condition, prior to receiving their third dose. Eligible individuals may thereafter receive the vaccination in a hospital or Specialist Outpatient Clinic of their treating specialist, if these are offering vaccinations. Alternatively, they may obtain a referral form duly completed by their treating specialist, and subsequently walk into any Vaccination Centre for their third dose.

Regular Testing

18. As announced on 6 September 2021, sectors currently on mandatory 14-day Fast and Easy Test (FET) Rostered Routine Testing (RRT) will need to increase their frequency of testing to every 7 days starting from 13 September 2021. New sectors with frequent interactions with the community would also be progressively onboarded onto 7-day FET RRT. Together, this intensified testing will improve our sentinel surveillance, allowing us to detect cases early and slow down the spread of the virus.

19. We also announced earlier that workplaces not on mandatory RRT should carry out regular testing for their onsite staff over a two-month period. We will begin to distribute the ART kits from next week onwards for companies to undertake this regular testing. More details on the application process, the coverage, and delivery of kits etc. will be provided soon. Beyond workplace testing, we encourage Singaporeans to use the ART kits that are currently being distributed to all households by 27 September 2021, to self-test yourselves before visiting crowded places, attending events or visiting vulnerable seniors. This will help us keep our community safe.

Towards a COVID-19 Resilient Singapore

20. We urge everyone who has not been vaccinated to step forward now for your vaccination, and for those who are eligible for the booster programme to come forward when you are invited. This will allow us to maintain our high vaccination coverage and reduce the risk of serious illnesses or deaths. As we shift towards a COVID-19 resilient state, we will need everyone to play their part to see a doctor or stay home if feeling unwell, to self-test regularly and get a confirmatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test if self-tested to be positive, and to abide by the safe management measures. Together, we will be able to progress along our journey towards being a COVID-19 resilient nation.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH
10 SEPTEMBER 2021

jw5 · Sep 11, 2021

from MOH report 10 September 2021:

Summary of local situation

• 689 cases are currently warded in hospital. There are currently 25 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation, and 6 in critical condition in the intensive care unit (ICU).

• Over the last 28 days, the percentage of unvaccinated who became severely ill or died is 4.5%, while that for the fully vaccinated is 0.7%.

• As of 9 September 2021, 81% of our population has completed their full regimen/ received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and 83% has received at least one dose.

• As of 10 September 2021, 12pm, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has detected a total of 573 new cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore today.

Condition of hospitalised cases

As of 10 September 2021, 12pm, 689 COVID-19 cases are currently warded in hospital. Most are well and under observation. There are currently 25 cases requiring oxygen supplementation, and 6 in critical condition in the ICU. Of those who have fallen very ill, 27 are seniors above 60 years.

2. Case 72986, an 80 year-old male Singaporean, has passed away from complications due to COVID-19 infection on 10 September 2021. He had developed symptoms on 4 September, and tested positive for COVID-19 infection on 9 September after being admitted to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases. He had been partially vaccinated against COVID-19, and had a history of diabetes mellitus, heart failure, hypertension and hyperlipidaemia. In total, 58 have passed away from complications due to COVID-19 infection.

Figure 1: Number of Active Cases in ICU or Requiring Oxygen Supplementation

Figure 2: Deaths and Active Cases in ICU, Requiring Oxygen Supplementation or Hospitalised, by Age Groups

3. Over the last 28 days, the percentage of unvaccinated who became severely ill or died is 4.5%, while that for the fully vaccinated is 0.7%.

Figure 3: Local Cases in the Last 28 Days by Vaccination Status & Severity of Condition1

Update on vaccination progress

4. As of 9 September 2021, 81% of our population has completed their full regimen/ received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and 83% has received at least one dose.

5. We have administered a total of 8,832,468 doses of COVID-19 vaccines under the national vaccination programme (Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty and Moderna), covering 4,547,903 individuals, with 4,401,020 individuals having completed the full vaccination regimen. In addition, 175,974 doses of other vaccines recognised in the World Health Organization’s Emergency Use Listing (WHO EUL) have been administered, covering 86,487 individuals.

Locally transmitted COVID-19 cases

6. As of 10 September 2021, 12pm, there are 573 cases of COVID-19 infection, comprising 568 local cases and 5 imported cases.

a) Active clusters under close monitoring

7. We are closely monitoring the clusters listed below, which have already been ringfenced through tracing, testing and isolation.

Figure 4: Large Clusters with New Cases

Cluster	New Cases	Total2	Remarks
Hu Lee Impex (Chin Bee Avenue)	4	31	Primarily workplace transmission, no evidence of spread beyond workplace, market stallholders and household contacts of cases. Of the 31 cases, 26 are staff (including 14 vegetable packers) and 5 are household contacts of cases
30 Sunview Way construction site	32	69	Workplace transmission, no evidence of spread beyond worksite; 31 new cases have been quarantined earlier
Sembcorp Marine Tuas Boulevard Yard	23	55	Most cases are residents of 38 Kian Teck Drive dormitory; 22 new cases have been quarantined earlier
Changi General Hospital	2	64	Transmission limited to facility management staff, no transmission to healthcare workers and patients; cases declining
Bugis Junction	3	308	Intra-mall transmission amongst staff and visitors; all new cases quarantined earlier
Toa Payoh Bus Interchange staff	6	203	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Tampines Bus Interchange staff	5	55	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Boon Lay Bus Interchange staff	4	165	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Bishan Bus Interchange staff	1	38	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Clementi Bus Interchange staff	2	53	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters

b) Summary of trends for local cases

8. There are 568 local cases with COVID-19 infection today. Amongst the local cases today are 127 seniors who are above 60 years.

Figure 5: Number of Local Cases by Age

Summary of trends for imported cases

9. There are a total of 5 imported cases, who have already been placed on Stay-Home Notice (SHN) or isolated upon arrival in Singapore. Of these, 3 were detected upon arrival in Singapore, while 2 developed the illness during SHN or isolation.

Figure 6: Number of Imported Cases by Detected Upon Arrival/ Detected during SHN or Isolation

10. Please refer to MOH’s daily Situation Report (www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19/situation-report) for details.

[1] Fully vaccinated - more than 14 days after completing vaccination regimen (both doses of the vaccine or one dose for recovered individuals).

[2] Includes new cases added today.

jw5 · Sep 12, 2021

from MOH report 11 September 2021:

Summary of local situation

• 708 cases are currently warded in hospital. There are currently 35 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation, and 7 in critical condition in the intensive care unit (ICU).

• Over the last 28 days, the percentage of unvaccinated who became severely ill or died is 4.6%, while that for the fully vaccinated is 0.8%.

• As of 10 September 2021, 81% of our population has completed their full regimen/ received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and 84% has received at least one dose.

• As of 11 September 2021, 12pm, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has detected a total of 555 new cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore today.

Condition of hospitalised cases

As of 11 September 2021, 12pm, 708 COVID-19 cases are currently warded in hospital. Most are well and under observation. There are currently 35 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation, and 7 in critical condition in the ICU. Of those who have fallen very ill, 33 are seniors above 60 years.

Figure 1: Number of Active Cases in ICU or Requiring Oxygen Supplementation

2. Over the last 28 days, the percentage of local cases who were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms is 98.5%. Of the 65 cases who required oxygen supplementation, 35 were not fully vaccinated and 30 were fully vaccinated. Of the 6 who had been in the ICU, 4 were not fully vaccinated and 2 were fully vaccinated. Of the 4 who died, none were fully vaccinated1.

Figure 2: Local Cases in the Last 28 Days by Severity of Condition

Figure 3: Deaths and Active Cases in ICU, Requiring Oxygen Supplementation or Hospitalised, by Age Groups

Update on vaccination progress

3. As of 10 September 2021, 81% of our population has completed their full regimen/ received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and 84% has received at least one dose.

4. We have administered a total of 8,846,497 doses of COVID-19 vaccines under the national vaccination programme (Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty and Moderna), covering 4,551,854 individuals, with 4,411,550 individuals having completed the full vaccination regimen. In addition, 176,732 doses of other vaccines recognised in the World Health Organization’s Emergency Use Listing (WHO EUL) have been administered, covering 86,561 individuals.

Locally transmitted COVID-19 cases

5. As of 11 September 2021, 12pm, there are 555 cases of COVID-19 infection, comprising 486 community cases, 64 dormitory residents cases and 5 imported cases.

a) Active clusters under close monitoring

Closure of Chinatown Complex and Community Surveillance Testing for Visitors

6. MOH is investigating cases of COVID-19 infection amongst individuals who work in Chinatown Complex (335 Smith Street). A total of 66 cases are currently linked to the cluster. Of these, 63 work at Chinatown Complex, comprising 58 stallholders and stall assistants, 4 cleaners and 1 Safe Distancing Ambassador working at the Complex. The remaining 3 are household contacts of cases. To break any potential chain of transmission and enable deep cleaning of the premises, Chinatown Complex will be closed to all members of the public from 1500 hours, 12 September to 2359 hours, 15 September 2021.

7. All staff working at Chinatown Complex are being tested for COVID-19. To cast a wide net around the cases, and to contain the cluster quickly, persons who have logged in with SafeEntry to Chinatown Complex from 8 September to 11 September will be issued Health Risk Alerts (HRA). They are strongly encouraged to go for a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test as soon as possible and to reduce their social interactions for 14 days.

8. To uncover any community infection cases, we will also extend free COVID-19 testing to members of the public who had visited Chinatown Complex between 8 September and 11 September, but who do not receive HRAs. Please refer to https://go.gov.sg/chinatown-complex-testing for details on the testing operations. All visitors to Chinatown Complex between 8 September and 11 September are advised to monitor their health closely, and minimise social interactions as far as possible, for 14 days from their date of visit. They are encouraged to see a doctor immediately if they feel unwell.

9. We are closely monitoring the clusters listed below, which have already been ringfenced through tracing, testing and isolation.

Figure 4: Large Clusters with New Cases

Cluster	New Cases	Total2	Remarks
Chinatown Complex	44	66	Ongoing workplace transmission, including 58 stallholders and assistants, 4 cleaners, 1 SDA and 3 household contacts of workers
PCF Sparkletots Braddell Heights (335 Serangoon Avenue 3)	3	22	Transmission amongst students in the same class, with further spread to household contact of cases
Hu Lee Impex (Chin Bee Avenue)	6	40	Workplace transmission with further spread to household contacts of cases. Of the 40 cases, 31 are staff (including 18 vegetable packers) and 9 are household contacts of cases
30 Sunview Way construction site	17	115	Workplace transmission, no evidence of spread beyond worksite; amongst new cases, 11 have been quarantined earlier
Sembcorp Marine Tuas Boulevard Yard	17	76	Most cases are residents of 38 Kian Teck Drive dormitory; amongst new cases, 12 have been quarantined earlier
Changi General Hospital	3	67	Transmission limited to facility management staff, no transmission to healthcare workers and patients; all new cases have been quarantined earlier
Bugis Junction	5	313	Intra-mall transmission amongst staff and visitors; all new cases have been quarantined earlier
Toa Payoh Bus Interchange staff	6	210	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Tampines Bus Interchange staff	7	68	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Boon Lay Bus Interchange staff	11	179	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Jurong East Bus Interchange staff	2	47	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Clementi Bus Interchange staff	3	58	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Punggol Bus Interchange staff	2	44	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
119 Neythal Road dormitory	2	24	Workplace transmission; all new cases have already been quarantined earlier

b) Summary of trends for local cases

10. There are 486 community and 64 dormitory residents cases of COVID-19 infection today. Amongst the local cases today are 145 seniors who are above 60 years.

Figure 5: Number of Local Cases by Age

Summary of trends for imported cases

11. There are a total of 5 imported cases, who have already been placed on Stay-Home Notice (SHN) or isolated upon arrival in Singapore. All 5 developed the illness during SHN or isolation.

Figure 6: Number of Imported Cases by Detected Upon Arrival/ Detected during SHN or Isolation

12. Please refer to MOH’s daily Situation Report (www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19/situation-report) for details.

[1] Fully vaccinated - more than 14 days after completing vaccination regimen (both doses of the vaccine or one dose for recovered individuals).

[2] Includes new cases added today.

jw5 · Sep 12, 2021

from MOH report 11 September 2021:

COVID-19 VACCINATION CHANNELS FOR OVERSEAS SINGAPOREANS

As part of our ongoing efforts to encourage Singaporeans who are medically eligible to be vaccinated under our national COVID-19 vaccination programme, Singapore will launch two dedicated vaccination channels to make it more convenient for Singapore Citizens based overseas to receive vaccination in Singapore.

2 Currently, returning Singaporeans from Category II-IV countries/regions will have to serve the full Stay-Home Notice (SHN) required of them, before they can receive their first dose of vaccination, followed by the second dose three to four weeks later. For Singaporeans with family and work commitments abroad, this makes it difficult for them to return to Singapore for vaccination given the long duration away from their resident countries.

3 Our present high local vaccination rates give us the foundation to introduce two vaccination channels for overseas Singaporeans (OS) arriving via Changi Airport and Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal:

a. Receive the first dose upon arrival in Singapore without serving full SHN, then return to their resident country on the next available flight/ferry. Individuals can complete their vaccination regimen by repeating this process for their second dose; or

b. Receive the first dose upon arrival in Singapore, complete full SHN at a dedicated facility, and receive the second dose after the required dosing interval before returning to their resident country.

4 OS under Option (b) will be subject to the prevailing border measures on the pre-departure test, on-arrival testing regime as well as length of SHN based on their 21-day travel history. OS under Option (a) will also be subject to the same prevailing border measures until they depart on the next available flight/ferry. Regardless of their country/region of embarkation, the OS will be required to stay at an appointed dedicated facility where the vaccination will be offered on-site, while they are under SHN. For more information on the entry requirements to Singapore for returning Singaporeans, please visit the SafeTravel website.

5 While the COVID-19 vaccines will be provided by the Singapore Government, OS will have to bear the associated costs of returning for the vaccination, including accommodation at the designated facility, swab tests and travel expenses.

6 OS should register their interest in using either vaccination channel via https://go.gov.sg/vaccinationchannels. Prior to travelling to Singapore, OS should obtain the relevant re-entry approvals and return flight/ferry tickets to ensure they can return to their resident countries after their vaccination. More information on the vaccination channels can be found on MOH’s FAQ page.

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
MINISTRY OF HEALTH

SINGAPORE

11 September 2021

jw5 · Sep 13, 2021

from MOH report 12 September 2021:

Summary of local situation
· 780 cases are currently warded in hospital. There are currently 54 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation, and 7 in critical condition in the intensive care unit (ICU).
· Over the last 28 days, the percentage of unvaccinated who became severely ill or died is 5.2%, while that for the fully vaccinated is 1.0%.
· As of 11 September 2021, 81% of our population has completed their full regimen/ received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and 84% has received at least one dose.
· As of 12 September 2021, 12pm, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has detected a total of 520 new cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore today.

Condition of hospitalised cases

As of 12 September 2021, 12pm, 780 COVID-19 cases are currently warded in hospital. Most are well and under observation. There are currently 54 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation, and 7 in critical condition in the ICU. Of those who have fallen very ill, 50 are seniors above 60 years.

Figure 1: Number of Active Cases in ICU or Requiring Oxygen Supplementation

2. Over the last 28 days, the percentage of local cases who were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms is 98.3%. Of the 84 cases who required oxygen supplementation, 43 were not fully vaccinated and 41 were fully vaccinated. Of the 6 who had been in the ICU, 4 were not fully vaccinated and 2 were fully vaccinated. Of the 4 who died, none were fully vaccinated1.

Figure 2: Local Cases in the Last 28 Days by Severity of Condition

Figure 3: Deaths and Active Cases in ICU, Requiring Oxygen Supplementation or Hospitalised, by Age Groups

Update on vaccination progress

3. As of 11 September 2021, 81% of our population has completed their full regimen/ received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and 84% has received at least one dose.

4. We have administered a total of 8,859,168 doses of COVID-19 vaccines under the national vaccination programme (Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty and Moderna), covering 4,554,718 individuals, with 4,419,947 individuals having completed the full vaccination regimen. In addition, 176,820 doses of other vaccines recognised in the World Health Organization’s Emergency Use Listing (WHO EUL) have been administered, covering 86,597 individuals.

Locally transmitted COVID-19 cases

5. As of 12 September 2021, 12pm, there are 520 cases of COVID-19 infection, comprising 454 community cases, 63 dormitory residents cases and 3 imported cases.

a) Active clusters under close monitoring

6. We are closely monitoring the clusters listed below, which have already been ringfenced through tracing, testing and isolation.

Figure 4:Large Clusters with New Cases

Cluster	New Cases	Total2	Remarks
DHL Supply Chain Advanced Regional Centre (1 Greenwich Drive)	3	28	Workplace transmission with further spread to household contacts of cases. Of the 28 cases, 25 are staff and 3 are household contacts of cases
Chinatown Complex	10	81	Ongoing workplace transmission, including 67 stallholders and assistants, 4 cleaners, 1 Safe Distancing Ambassador and 9 household contacts of workers. Chinatown Complex has been closed to the public since 12 September, 1500h
Hu Lee Impex (Chin Bee Avenue)	8	54	Workplace transmission with further spread to household contacts of cases. Of the 54 cases, 24 are staff (including 27 vegetable packers) and 12 are household contacts of cases
PCF Sparkletots Braddell Heights (335 Serangoon Avenue 3)	1	22	Transmission amongst students in the same class, with further spread to household contact of cases
30 Sunview Way construction site	20	140	Workplace transmission, no evidence of spread beyond worksite; all new cases have been quarantined earlier
Sembcorp Marine Tuas Boulevard Yard	9	85	Most cases are residents of 38 Kian Teck Drive dormitory; all new cases have been quarantined earlier
Changi General Hospital	3	70	Transmission limited to facility management staff, no transmission to healthcare workers and patients; all new cases have been quarantined earlier
Bugis Junction	3	316	Intra-mall transmission amongst staff and visitors; all new cases have been quarantined earlier
Toa Payoh Bus Interchange staff	2	212	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Tampines Bus Interchange staff	3	73	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Boon Lay Bus Interchange staff	7	190	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Bishan Bus Interchange staff	1	39	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Jurong East Bus Interchange staff	1	48	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Clementi Bus Interchange staff	2	61	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Punggol Bus Interchange staff	1	47	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
119 Neythal Road dormitory	4	28	Workplace transmission; all new cases have been quarantined earlier

b) Summary of trends for local cases

7. There are 454 community and 63 dormitory residents cases of COVID-19 infection today. Amongst the local cases today are 137 seniors who are above 60 years.

Figure 5: Number of Local Cases by Age

Summary of trends for imported cases

8. There are a total of 3 imported cases, who have already been placed on Stay-Home Notice (SHN) or isolated upon arrival in Singapore. Of these, 1 was detected upon arrival in Singapore, while 2 developed the illness during SHN or isolation.

Figure 6: Number of Imported Cases by Detected Upon Arrival/ Detected during SHN or Isolation

9. Please refer to MOH’s daily Situation Report (www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19/situation-report) for details.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH
12 SEPTEMBER 2021

1 Fully vaccinated - more than 14 days after completing vaccination regimen (both doses of the vaccine or one dose for recovered individuals).
2 Includes new cases added today.

jw5 · Sep 13, 2021

from MOH report 12 September 2021:

ENHANCED MEASURES FOR RESIDENTIAL CARE HOMES

The Ministry of Health (MOH) has detected an increase in the number COVID-19 cases recently amongst staff, clients and residents of aged care facilities, and will enhance measures to protect seniors residing at residential care homes who are typically frail and more vulnerable to complications of COVID-19.

2. In the last two weeks, there were 42 cases across 18 aged care facilities/providers. With the number of cases expected to continue to rise in the coming weeks, we need to take further action to protect the vulnerable seniors in these settings.

3. As an enhanced measure to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in residential care homes, all in-person visits to residential care homes will be suspended from 13 September 2021 to 11 October 2021 (both dates inclusive). This temporary suspension of visitation will give us time to encourage more unvaccinated seniors to get vaccinated, and roll out the vaccine booster programme for residents of aged care facilities, details of which were announced by MOH on 10 September 2021.

4. We will also be strengthening the testing regime for both staff and residents/clients of aged care facilities, and will use Antigen Rapid Tests (ART) more frequently, to complement the current surveillance testing in these settings.

5. We urge the next-of-kin of unvaccinated seniors in the aged care facilities to support and encourage their loved ones to be vaccinated. Unvaccinated seniors may suffer severe illness if infected. It is also important for vaccinated seniors to receive the booster vaccination when it is made available, to ensure a continued high level of immunity and protection from severe disease.

6. We will observe the situation in the coming weeks and will review the suspension of visitation accordingly. We seek the understanding and cooperation of all Singaporeans as we make adjustments to protect our seniors.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH
12 SEPTEMBER 2021

jw5 · Sep 14, 2021

from MOH report 13 September 2021:

Summary of local situation

• 774 cases are currently warded in hospital. There are currently 57 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation, and 8 in critical condition in the intensive care unit (ICU).

• Over the last 28 days, the percentage of unvaccinated who became severely ill or died is 5.4%, while that for the fully vaccinated is 1.0%.

• As of 12 September 2021, 81% of our population has completed their full regimen/ received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and 84% has received at least one dose.

• As of 13 September 2021, 12pm, the Ministry of Health has detected a total of 607 new cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore, with 534 in the community, 63 in the migrant worker dormitories and 10 imported cases.

Condition of hospitalised cases

As of 13 September 2021, 12pm, 774 COVID-19 cases are currently warded in hospital. Most are well and under observation. There are currently 57 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation, and 8 in critical condition in the ICU. Of those who have fallen very ill, 51 are seniors above 60 years.

Figure 1: Number of Active Cases in ICU or Requiring Oxygen Supplementation

2. Over the last 28 days, the percentage of local cases who were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms is 98.2%. Of the 94 cases who required oxygen supplementation, 48 were not fully vaccinated and 46 were fully vaccinated. Of the 6 who had been in the ICU, 4 were not fully vaccinated and 2 were fully vaccinated. Of the 4 who died, none was fully vaccinated1.

Figure 2: Local Cases in the Last 28 Days by Severity of Condition

Figure 3: Deaths and Active Cases in ICU, Requiring Oxygen Supplementation or Hospitalised, by Age Groups

Update on vaccination progress

3. As of 12 September 2021, 81% of our population has completed their full regimen/ received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and 84% has received at least one dose.

4. We have administered a total of 8,867,170 doses of COVID-19 vaccines under the national vaccination programme (Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty and Moderna), covering 4,556,377 individuals, with 4,425,034 individuals having completed the full vaccination regimen. In addition, 176,860 doses of other vaccines recognised in the World Health Organization’s Emergency Use Listing (WHO EUL) have been administered, covering 86,614 individuals.

Locally transmitted COVID-19 cases

5. As of 13 September 2021, 12pm, the Ministry of Health has detected a total of 607 new cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore, comprising 534 community cases, 63 dormitory residents cases and 10 imported cases.

a) Active clusters under close monitoring

6. We are closely monitoring the clusters listed below, which have already been ringfenced through tracing, testing and isolation.

Figure 4: Large Clusters with New Cases

Cluster	New Cases	Total2	Remarks
Ren Ci @ Bukit Batok Street 52	27	28	Transmission amongst staff and residents. Of the 28 cases, 20 are residents and 8 are staff. All other staff and residents located on the affected levels have been tested, and the results so far are negative. The other residents and staff of the nursing home will also be tested.
Avery Lodge Dormitory	12	58	Ongoing Intra-dormitory transmission amongst residents, detected through proactive testing. Residents have been placed on Movement Restriction Order, and are being tested.
DHL Supply Chain Advanced Regional Centre (1 Greenwich Drive)	10	41	Workplace transmission with further spread to household contacts of cases. Of the 41 cases, 38 are staff and 3 are household contacts of cases.
Chinatown Complex	21	105	Ongoing workplace transmission, including 73 stallholders and assistants, 5 cases working as cleaners/ Safe Distancing Ambassador, and 27 household contacts of workers. Chinatown Complex has been closed to the public since 12 September, 1500h.
Hu Lee Impex (Chin Bee Avenue)	5	61	Workplace transmission with further spread to household contacts of cases. These include 47 staff (including 28 vegetable packers) and 14 household contacts of cases.
PCF Sparkletots Braddell Heights (335 Serangoon Avenue 3)	1	23	Transmission amongst students in the same class, with further spread to household contact of cases; new case has been quarantined earlier
30 Sunview Way construction site	16	156	Workplace transmission, no evidence of spread beyond worksite; 15 of the new cases have been quarantined earlier
Sembcorp Marine Tuas Boulevard Yard	1	88	Most cases are residents of 38 Kian Teck Drive dormitory; new case has been quarantined earlier
Changi General Hospital	2	72	Transmission limited to facility management staff, no transmission to healthcare workers and patients; cases declining
Toa Payoh Bus Interchange staff	6	220	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Tampines Bus Interchange staff	6	79	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Boon Lay Bus Interchange staff	7	200	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Bishan Bus Interchange staff	1	40	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Jurong East Bus Interchange staff	1	49	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Clementi Bus Interchange staff	1	63	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Punggol Bus Interchange staff	3	51	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters

b) Summary of trends for local cases

7. There are 597 new cases of locally transmitted COVID-19 infection in Singapore, with 534 in the community and 63 in the migrant worker dormitories. Amongst the local cases today are 157 seniors who are above 60 years.

Figure 5: Number of Local Cases by Age

Summary of trends for imported cases

8. There are a total of 10 imported cases, who have already been placed on Stay-Home Notice (SHN) or isolated upon arrival in Singapore. Of these, 4 were detected upon arrival in Singapore, while 6 developed the illness during SHN or isolation.
Figure 6: Number of Imported Cases by Detected Upon Arrival/ Detected during SHN or Isolation

9. Please refer to MOH’s daily Situation Report (www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19/situation-report) for details.

[1] Fully vaccinated - more than 14 days after completing vaccination regimen (both doses of the vaccine or one dose for recovered individuals).

[2] Includes new cases added today.

jw5 · Sep 14, 2021

from MOH report 14 September 2021:

UPDATING OUR HEALTHCARE PROTOCOLS FOR A MORE COVID-19 RESILIENT NATION

1. As announced by the Multi-Ministry Taskforce last week, with the rising number of infection cases and as Singapore moves towards COVID-19 resilience, we need to adjust our healthcare protocols. There are two areas. First, we have adjusted our Home Quarantine Protocol so that contact tracers can focus on conducting manual contact tracing for sensitive clusters in settings such as hospitals, schools or markets frequented by seniors. For the other sporadic infection cases, we will quarantine household contacts of infected persons, because these contacts are most at risk of being exposed to the virus. In addition, we will use TraceTogether data to generate Health Risk Warning (HRW) and Health Risk Alert (HRA) based on existing protocols.

2. Second, given that over 98% of infected individuals have no or mild symptoms, we will expand the Home Recovery scheme, to allow more infected individuals to self-isolate, and take the necessary health precautions at home, with telehealth monitoring support. This will reserve our hospital capacity for those who truly need the medical care, so that we can continue to provide appropriate care for all even with higher infection numbers.

3. Taken together, these changes will lay the foundation for a more COVID-19 resilient nation.

Adjustments to Home Quarantine

4. With effect from 11 September 2021, we have reduced the quarantine period from 14 days to 10 days from the date of last exposure to a COVID-19 case, provided the Person-under-Quarantine (PUQ) tests negative for COVID-19 at the end of his or her quarantine. PUQs who received their Quarantine Orders (QO) before 11 September, have completed 10 or more days in quarantine, and have a negative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test result, will progressively have their QO rescinded earlier. Following rescindment, all PUQs will need to continue to self-administer Antigen Rapid Tests (ART) from Day 11 to Day 14 (from their date of last exposure).

5. Today, about 7 in 10 close contacts of community cases prefer Home Quarantine. After being notified by MOH, they remain in their home for the duration of the quarantine, except to take PCR tests. We have seen good compliance to the Home Quarantine requirements. Community cases have also been very helpful and cooperative in assisting MOH to identify their close contacts. Given this experience, and with the increasing numbers of infections, we have adjusted the protocol from 14 September 2021.

6. Our contact tracers will continue to conduct manual contact tracing for sensitive clusters like schools, hospitals, or markets frequented by seniors. For the less sensitive infection cases, an SMS will be sent to all newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, notifying them that they are required under the Infectious Diseases Act to inform their household contacts to register themselves as household close contacts through an online portal (https://go.gov.sg/quarantinereg). The household close contacts must provide the last date of exposure with the COVID-19 case and a contact number.

7. An electronic Quarantine Order (eQO) will be sent to registrants to indicate the quarantine period and instructions to book PCR tests. PUQs will then be able to go online to schedule their entry and exit PCR tests at a Regional Screening Centre (RSC) near their home. They will be able to travel to the RSCs for the PCR tests and collect free ART kits, administer their own ART daily and upload their results. Should they feel unwell or in need of medical attention, PUQs will also be given instructions to access 24/7 telemedicine services during their quarantine.

8. As with the current practice, persons with unsuitable home settings for quarantine could still request to be sent to a Government Quarantine Facility.

9. Related to this are the protocols for HRW and HRA. From 14 September 2021, the HRW has been reduced from 14 to 10 days from the date of last exposure to a COVID-19 case, to align with the shift to a 10-day QO regime. MOH issues HRW to close contacts of COVID-19 cases based on TraceTogether data. These may not be household contacts and have a smaller risk of infection compared to PUQs. Individuals issued HRW are required by law to take one PCR test upon receiving their notice, self-isolate until they receive a negative result, conduct three ART self-tests over the 10-day period of their HRW, and do another PCR test at the end of the HRW.

10. Besides HRW, individuals can instead be issued an HRA if they had contact of a relatively shorter duration with a COVID-19 case based on TraceTogether data, or their SafeEntry records from the past 14 days overlapped with an area of increased transmission. This group are persons who have had directly or indirectly been exposed to the risk of infection, even if that risk is lower than that of a close contact. Individuals who receive the HRA should monitor their health for the next 10 days, are strongly encouraged to come forward for a free PCR swab test, perform regular ART self-tests throughout the 10 days following their exposure, and minimise interactions with other people.

11. Some individuals may be notified by confirmed COVID-19 cases to self-register as household close contacts and be issued an eQO, as well as receive a HRW or HRA at the same time. They should note that quarantine takes precedence. Similarly, a health risk assessment will be made after the submission of Home Quarantine registration and individuals may be converted to HRW.

Transition to Home Recovery

12. From 15 September 2021, Home Recovery will be the default care management model for individuals who are:

a) Fully vaccinated;
b) Aged 12 to 50 years old;
c) Have no or mild symptoms;
d) Have no severe co-morbidities or illnesses; and
e) Have no household members who are more than 80 years old, or are in one of the vulnerable groups (e.g. pregnant individuals; with weakened immune response; or with multiple co-morbidities).

13. When an individual is tested COVID-19 positive, Home Recovery can start immediately if he or she meets the abovementioned criteria. The individual will need to set aside a room with an attached bathroom.

14. There is no need to go to a hospital or Community Care Facility. COVID-19 patients on Home Recovery will undergo an initial remote assessment by a telemedicine provider on the first day of their Home Recovery journey to ensure that they are clinically well. These individuals will also be issued with an Isolation Order and may be tagged with an electronic monitoring device to ensure they remain in their designated room at home.

15. Parents of children who test positive for COVID-19 can also bring their children home to recover, if the child is at least five years old and has no co-morbidities or underlying illnesses. For the child’s safety, a clinical assessment would first have to be done at a hospital before the child can return home to recover.

16. The individuals undergoing Home Recovery will be provided with access to information, including advisories on the signs and symptoms to look out for. If required, they can request for a care pack which contains a thermometer, pulse oximeter, surgical masks and hand sanitiser. A Home Recovery Buddy will also contact the COVID-19 patient at the start of Home Recovery to check on them and explain how to use the thermometer and oximeter. COVID-19 patients should monitor, measure and record their health signs such as body temperature, pulse rate and blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) at least once a day using the care diary provided to them. In the event that these individuals require any medical assistance, they will have 24/7 access to their designated telemedicine provider.

17. During Home Recovery, the entire household should practise good personal hygiene. The patients must avoid any physical or face-to-face contact with the rest of the household, to prevent any onward transmission of the virus. As the household members will most likely all be issued eQO, the household should also arrange for contactless deliveries when ordering essential items such as food or groceries.

18. COVID-19 patients on Home Recovery may contact the designated telemedicine service provider that they have been assigned to arrange for a PCR swab on Day 6 of illness to end the Home Recovery period sooner. If the COVID-19 patient’s test result meets the discharge criteria (i.e. if their PCR result is negative or has a low viral load), he or she may be discharged from Home Recovery on Day 7 of illness. Otherwise the patient’s Home Recovery period will end on Day 10 of illness without any further tests, so long that the patient is well. After discharge, COVID-19 patients will no longer be subject to any movement restrictions, although they are still advised to minimise social interactions for the next seven days. They may request for a Medical Certificate of up to 7 days from the telemedicine service provider, if they require more time to rest and recuperate. These are in line with the discharge protocols at our medical facilities.

19. We should point out that in the event that an infected individual is undergoing Home Recovery and household members are on QO, the infected individual may be discharged earlier than the household members on QO. This is not illogical, because for a fully vaccinated infected individual, the viral load will decrease very quickly and typically clears by Day 7. Whereas for someone exposed to the virus and on QO, his or her viral load may take up to 10 days to build up and for the illness to manifest itself.

Everyone Needs to do Their Part

20. Overall, the more extensive use of Home Quarantine, HRW, HRA and Home Recovery will allow us to ensure appropriate care and self-isolation for our COVID-19 infected individuals, while mitigating the risk of further transmission in a more scalable and sustainable manner. This approach requires a whole-of-society effort as we shift towards greater personal responsibility and self-care. By each doing our part, we will be able to progress together towards becoming a COVID-19 resilient nation.

Annex A – Eight Important Steps: What must you do when you are notified that you are a close contact of a COVID-19 positive case?

Annex B – 10 Important Steps: What happens when you test positive for COVID-19?

MINISTRY OF HEALTH
14 SEPTEMBER 2021

jw5 · Sep 15, 2021

from MOH report 14 September 2021:

Summary of local situation

809 cases are currently warded in hospital. There are currently 75 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation, and 9 in critical condition in the intensive care unit (ICU).
Over the last 28 days, the percentage of unvaccinated who became severely ill or died is 6.1%, while that for the fully vaccinated is 1.1%.
As of 13 September 2021, 81% of our population has completed their full regimen/ received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and 84% has received at least one dose.
As of 14 September 2021, 12pm, the Ministry of Health has detected a total of 837 new cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore, with 755 in the community, 77 in the migrant worker dormitories and 5 imported cases.

Condition of hospitalised cases

As of 14 September 2021, 12pm, 809 COVID-19 cases are currently warded in hospital. Most are well and under observation. There are currently 75 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation, and 9 in critical condition in the ICU. Of those who have fallen very ill, 66 are seniors above 60 years.

Figure 1: Number of Active Cases in ICU or Requiring Oxygen Supplementation1

2. Over the last 28 days, the percentage of local cases who were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms is 98.1%. Of the 114 cases who required oxygen supplementation, 56 were not fully vaccinated and 58 were fully vaccinated. Of the 8 who had been in the ICU, 5 were not fully vaccinated and 3 were fully vaccinated. Of the 4 who died, none were fully vaccinated2.

Figure 2: Local Cases in the Last 28 Days by Severity of Condition3

Figure 3: Deaths and Active Cases in ICU, Requiring Oxygen Supplementation or Hospitalised1 by Age Groups

Update on vaccination progress

3. As of 13 September 2021, 81% of our population has completed their full regimen/ received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and 84% has received at least one dose.

4. We have administered a total of 8,874,365 doses of COVID-19 vaccines under the national vaccination programme (Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty and Moderna), covering 4,558,863 individuals, with 4,428,658 individuals having completed the full vaccination regimen. In addition, 178,337 doses of other vaccines recognised in the World Health Organization's Emergency Use Listing (WHO EUL) have been administered, covering 86,659 individuals.

Locally transmitted COVID-19 cases

5. As of 14 September 2021, 12pm, the Ministry of Health has detected a total of 837 new cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore, comprising 755 community cases, 77 dormitory residents cases and 5 imported cases.

a) Active clusters under close monitoring

6. We are closely monitoring the clusters listed below, which have already been ringfenced through tracing, testing and isolation.

Figure 4: Large Clusters with New Cases

Cluster	New Cases	Total4	Remarks
11 Tuas Ave 10 dormitory	20	21	Ongoing intra-dormitory transmission amongst residents, detected through proactive testing. Of the new cases, 19 have been quarantined earlier. All residents will be tested.
All Saints Home (Jurong East)	1	10	Transmission amongst staff and residents. Of the 10 cases, 9 are residents and 1 is a staff. All staff on the affected level have been tested.
Ren Ci @ Bukit Batok Street 52	1	29	Transmission amongst staff and residents. Of the 29 cases, 20 are residents and 9 are staff. All residents and staff of the nursing home are being tested.
Avery Lodge Dormitory	16	82	Ongoing intra-dormitory transmission amongst residents, detected through proactive testing. Residents have been placed on Movement Restriction Order, and are being tested.
DHL Supply Chain Advanced Regional Centre (1 Greenwich Drive)	12	58	Workplace transmission with further spread to household contacts of cases. Of the 58 cases, 50 are staff and 8 are household contacts of cases.
Chinatown Complex	15	126	Ongoing workplace transmission, including 89 stallholders and assistants, 5 cases working as cleaners/ Safe Distancing Ambassador, and 32 household contacts of workers. Chinatown Complex has been closed to the public since 12 September, 1500h.
Hu Lee Impex (Chin Bee Avenue)	2	67	Workplace transmission with further spread to household contacts of cases. These include 52 staff (including 30 vegetable packers) and 15 household contacts of cases.
PCF Sparkletots Braddell Heights (335 Serangoon Avenue 3)	1	24	Transmission amongst students in the same class, with further spread to household contact of cases; new case has been quarantined earlier
30 Sunview Way construction site	11	170	Workplace transmission, no evidence of spread beyond worksite; 8 of the new cases have been quarantined earlier
Sembcorp Marine Tuas Boulevard Yard	12	100	Most cases are residents of 38 Kian Teck Drive dormitory
Bugis Junction	1	317	Intra-mall transmission amongst staff and visitors, with further transmission to close contacts of staff and visitors
Toa Payoh Bus Interchange staff	2	227	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Tampines Bus Interchange staff	3	85	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Boon Lay Bus Interchange staff	4	208	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters

b) Summary of trends for local cases

7. There are 832 new cases of locally transmitted COVID-19 infection in Singapore, with 755 in the community and 77 in the migrant worker dormitories. Amongst the local cases today are 231 seniors who are above 60 years.

Figure 5: Number of Local Cases by Age

Summary of trends for imported cases

8. There are a total of 5 imported cases, who have already been placed on Stay-Home Notice (SHN) or isolated upon arrival in Singapore. Of these, 3 were detected upon arrival in Singapore, while 2 developed the illness during SHN or isolation.

Figure 6: Number of Imported Cases by Detected Upon Arrival/Detected during SHN or Isolation

9. Please refer to MOH's daily Situation Report (www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19/situation-report) for details.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH
14 SEPTEMBER 2021

[1] Includes all cases who are currently hospitalised.
[2] Fully vaccinated - more than 14 days after completing vaccination regimen (both doses of the vaccine or one dose for recovered individuals).
[3] Includes only new cases reported in the past 28 days.
[4] Includes new cases added today.

jw5 · Sep 16, 2021

from MOH report 15 September 2021:

Summary of local situation

822 cases are currently warded in hospital. There are currently 76 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation, and 9 in critical condition in the intensive care unit (ICU).
Over the last 28 days, the percentage of unvaccinated who became severely ill or died is 5.7%, while that for the fully vaccinated is 1.1%.
As of 14 September 2021, 81% of our population has completed their full regimen/ received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and 84% has received at least one dose.
As of 15 September 2021, 12pm, the Ministry of Health has detected a total of 807 new cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore, with 770 in the community, 34 in the migrant worker dormitories and 3 imported cases.

CONDITION OF HOSPITALISED CASES

1. As of 15 September 2021, 12pm, 822 COVID-19 cases are currently warded in hospital. Most are well and under observation. There are currently 76 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation, and 9 in critical condition in the ICU. Of those who have fallen very ill, 66 are seniors above 60 years.

Figure 1: Number of Active Cases in ICU or Requiring Oxygen Supplementation[1]

2. Over the last 28 days, the percentage of local cases who were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms is 98.2%. Of the 124 cases who required oxygen supplementation, 59 were not fully vaccinated and 65 were fully vaccinated. Of the 9 who had been in the ICU, 5 were not fully vaccinated and 4 were fully vaccinated. Of the 4 who died, none was fully vaccinated[2].
Figure 2: Local Cases in the Last 28 Days by Severity of Condition[3]

Figure 3: Deaths and Active Cases in ICU, Requiring Oxygen Supplementation or Hospitalised[1], by Age Groups

Update on vaccination progress
3. As of 14 September 2021, 81% of our population has completed their full regimen/ received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and 84% has received at least one dose.

4. We have administered a total of 8,881,071 doses of COVID-19 vaccines under the national vaccination programme (Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty and Moderna), covering 4,561,574 individuals, with 4,432,411 individuals having completed the full vaccination regimen. In addition, 179,086 doses of other vaccines recognised in the World Health Organization’s Emergency Use Listing (WHO EUL) have been administered, covering 86,731 individuals.

Locally transmitted COVID-19 cases
5. As of 15 September 2021, 12pm, the Ministry of Health has detected a total of 807 new cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore, comprising 770 community cases, 34 dormitory residents cases and 3 imported cases.

a) Active clusters under close monitoring

6. We are closely monitoring the clusters listed below, which have already been ringfenced through tracing, testing and isolation.
Figure 4: Large Clusters with New Cases

Cluster	New Cases	Total[4]	Remarks
Orange Valley Nursing Home (Simei)	3	13	All 13 cases are residents. Residents and staff on the affected levels are being tested. All other residents and staff will also undergo testing.
Jamiyah Nursing Home	13	13	Transmission amongst staff and residents. Of the 13 cases, 10 are residents and 3 are staff. Residents and staff on the affected level are being tested. All other staff and residents will also undergo testing.
7 Senoko South Road dormitory	9	26	Ongoing intra-dormitory transmission amongst residents, detected through proactive testing. Residents have been placed on quarantine, and are being tested.
Madrasah Irsyad Zuhri Al-Islamiah	1	11	Transmission amongst students in the same class with further spread to household contacts of cases.
11 Tuas Ave 10 dormitory	1	23	Intra-dormitory transmission amongst residents, detected through proactive testing.
All Saints Home (Jurong East)	1	12	Transmission amongst staff and residents. Of the 12 cases, 10 are residents and 2 are staff. All staff on the affected level have been tested.
Ren Ci @ Bukit Batok Street 52	3	32	Transmission amongst staff and residents. Of the 32 cases, 23 are residents and 9 are staff. All residents and staff are being tested.
Avery Lodge Dormitory	5	87	Intra-dormitory transmission amongst residents, detected through proactive testing. Residents have been placed on Movement Restriction Order, and are being tested.
DHL Supply Chain Advanced Regional Centre (1 Greenwich Drive)	7	71	Workplace transmission with further spread to household contacts of cases. Of the 71 cases, 63 are staff and 8 are household contacts of cases.
Chinatown Complex	11	197	Ongoing workplace transmission, including 154 stallholders and assistants, 7 working as cleaners/ Safe Distancing Ambassador, and 36 household contacts of workers.
Hu Lee Impex (Chin Bee Avenue)	1	70	Workplace transmission with further spread to household contacts of cases. These include 55 staff (including 31 vegetable packers) and 15 household contacts of cases.
PCF Sparkletots Braddell Heights (335 Serangoon Avenue 3)	3	27	Transmission amongst students in the same class, with further spread to household contact of cases. All new cases have been quarantined earlier.
30 Sunview Way construction site	5	175	Workplace transmission, no evidence of spread beyond worksite. All new cases have been quarantined earlier.
Sembcorp Marine Tuas Boulevard Yard	3	102	Most cases are residents of 38 Kian Teck Drive dormitory. All new cases have been quarantined earlier.
Bugis Junction	1	318	Intra-mall transmission amongst staff and visitors, with further transmission to close contacts of staff and visitors.
Toa Payoh Bus Interchange staff	3	231	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Tampines Bus Interchange staff	5	102	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Boon Lay Bus Interchange staff	5	218	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Bishan Bus Interchange staff	1	41	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters
Clementi Bus Interchange staff	2	65	Workplace transmission amongst bus captains and interchange staff, no evidence of spread to commuters

b) Summary of trends for local cases
7. There are 804 new cases of locally transmitted COVID-19 infection in Singapore, with 770 in the community and 34 in the migrant worker dormitories. Amongst the local cases today are 238 seniors who are above 60 years.
Figure 5: Number of Local Cases by Age

Summary of trends for imported cases
8. There are a total of 3 imported cases, who have already been placed on Stay-Home Notice (SHN) or isolated upon arrival in Singapore. Of these, 1 was detected upon arrival in Singapore, while 2 developed the illness during SHN or isolation.
Figure 6: Number of Imported Cases by Detected Upon Arrival/ Detected during SHN or Isolation

9. Please refer to MOH’s daily Situation Report (www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19/situation-report) for details.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH
15 SEPTEMBER 2021

[1] Includes all cases who are currently hospitalised.
[2] Fully vaccinated - more than 14 days after completing vaccination regimen (both doses of the vaccine or one dose for recovered individuals).
[3] Includes only new cases reported in the past 28 days.
[4] Includes new cases added today.

Gahmen needs to come clean on those cases classified as "work permit holders not residing in domintories"

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